Burning Kiss
by Soldier of Passion
Summary: Crucible.Hale/OC. John Hale enters Salem in search for witches and demons, but finds something else that possesses him to think twice about the witch trials. Could a girl be hope for the ending of the trials? Not if Abigail has anything to do with it. R
1. A Stain on Salem

**Dear Readers.**

**Does anyone else feel the horribleness of the lack of Crucible stories on facebook?  
How about the lack of Hale fanfictions?  
Well...I do. AND I AM HERE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!**

This is my fanfiction. It is Hale/OC. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Arthur Miller's The Crucible in any way, shape, or form.  
I can claim the right, though, to my own characters Natlia Paddock, Buffy Barron, and Peter Paddock.**

Oh, and just like Arthur Miller, in the first two chapters I wil have AUTHORIAL INTRUSTIONS. Its the words in italics that discuss  
and give information on the characters that the author, I, think you might need to know.  


**Read and Review

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**Chapter One. **

**A Stain on Salem.**

As the carriage was pulled quietly through the night, a sudden darkness overcame it as it came closer to its destination. Salem, a town known for its utopian ideas and rich Puritan goodness, was drawing nearer.

The man that lay inside the carriage gave a soundless cough, wrapping his hands around his arms as he silently shivered. He tilted his head outside the window, checking the distance between his carriage and Salem. He sighed, tilting his head back inside the carriage and shutting the window, warming himself from the cold wind of the outside.

John Hale sighed, reading the letter he had received from the minister of the town, a man by the name of Reverend Samuel Parris. It seemed that his daughter would not awaken and was in a deep, fixed slumber, and he wanted to know if the cause was supernatural. John frowned, praying quietly that the little girl, Betty Parris he said her name was, was not in the grasp of the devil or one of his witches. It seemed ever since he graduated from Harvard that he was called to and from different places to help drive away evil spirits.

Salem. He smiled, knowing he was about to meet Rebecca Nurse, a woman who he had heard of so much about in his traveling. Yes, he had heard of her goodness and was quite excited to meet the woman.  
Rebecca Nurse had inspired him throughout his teenage years, and even now, as a young minister from the town of Beverly, he was still inspired by such a woman. He hopes he would make her proud by showing the town his knowledge of spirits and by taking away whatever demon haunted Betty Parris.

…..

Natalia glared out the window, watching the retreating figures run off into the distance and into the woods that lay outside their village. She huffed, scrubbing the stain on the window more forcefully, cause a loud squeaking sound to be omitted from the window. Grinding her teeth, she scrubbed harder and growled in frustration at the imposing stain.

_Natalia is sixteen years of age, with long black hair and dark brown eyes. She is quite beautiful, the envy of most of the town's young females. She is the daughter of an Englishman who married an Italian maiden, both of which had died when crossing over to the new world. She now lives with her elder brother, Peter, who works as a farmer in Salem._

Elizabeth came out from under the cellar, rolling her eyes at Natalia's antics as she put the clothes down on the table to be folded.

"Keep glaring at them, they won't come back." she stated, grabbing a towel from the laundry basket and slowly folding it. Natalia scowled, turning her attention from the window to her friend, leaving the stain behind.

"Why aren't we invited, Buffy?" Natalia asked, folding her arms, "Since when did Mercy Lewis and Susanna Walcott decide to stop conversing with us?"

Buffy smiled, "Ever since you and Abigail Williams decided to hate each other with a passion."

Natalia snorted, muttering profanity about Abigail under her breath, "At least I didn't bed with a married husband." she snapped, "The whore is a menace, and she's stealing all our friends away just like she is with women's husbands!"

"Natalia!" Buffy exclaimed, " You best not be spreading those rumors about town. You know not if that is true! Besides, Abigail would kill you if she heard you say those things about her."

"Oh please, Abigail is worth nothing more than the annoying stain on this window! The girl is a stain itself!" she declared, "Why else would Goody Proctor dismiss Abigail from her work?"

Buffy shrugged, returning to her work, folding the clothes, "Dear God, Natalia, your brother sure wastes a lot of clothes. Doesn't he know that pants can be worn for more than a day? This pair wasn't even dirty when he put it in."

Natalia laughed, "Peter's a farmer not a scholar, what do you expect?" she stopped scrubbing, looking over at Buffy in confusion, "Why do you suppose they brought Tituba along with them?"

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Natalia?" Buffy responded absentmindedly, "Who's Tituba again?"

Natalia rolled her eyes, leaning her arm against the table, "Tituba is the slave of Reverend Parris, Elizabeth Barron," Buffy narrowed her eyes at the use of her full name, "Why would they bring her along with them to whatever sport they are playing in the forest?"

Buffy looked up, confusion, "I…I don't know. That is rather odd, isn't it?"

…..

Natalia Paddock walked about the village on the young Sunday morning, greeting neighbors as she walked by them. She found old Giles Corey plowing his yard, and Goody Barrow smiled at her as she went to see her pigs. Goody Booth and Goody Bibber waved passively as the two women gossiped about the town, and George Jacobs greeted her along the way.

"Natalia!" called a voice, and she looked around only to be face to face with Susanna Walcott, "Have you heard what has happened to Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam?"

Natalia shook her head, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the normally quiet, nervous girl's fretful antics, "No. Why, what has happened?"

Susanna looked around her, making sure nobody was around and lent in to whisper in Natalia's ears, "Betty and Ruth won't wake up, its as if they're in a ghostly state. The doctors don't know what is wrong with them, as he cannot discover any medicine for their illness in his book. He bids us to look for unnatural causes for it."

Natalia frowned, "Unnatural causes? They think that witchcraft is behind it?"

Susanna nodded, her gray eyes widening, "Yes, Reverend Parris has even sent for a minister from Beverly, Reverend Hale. Apparently he's much learned in the subject of witchery." she looked down, "I pray for her."

Natalia nodded, "Aye, so do I. But witchery? Here, in Salem? It just does not seem believable."

The younger girl shrugged, muttering something and walking away, leaving the older girl to contemplate the news she had received. The rumors of witchcraft had spread through the town like wildfire, and Natalia could hear that the whispering gossip was about Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam.

She ignored the whispering, making her way to church where Reverend Parris was starting his sermon. She took a seat near the back of the church, listening as he preached of the angry hand of God and the Devil's grip on our backs. She shivered, listening to his cold, angry words echo off the walls and into the minds of all the parishioners who attended church.

The sermon ended, and a psalm of "going up to Jesus" sang throughout the church. A sudden shriek erupted during the psalm, and Natalia looked for the source of the sound. She narrowed her eyes as Reverend Parris excused himself and rushed out the doors, having Thomas Putnam and his wife, Goody Anne Putnam, following him. She vaguely noticed that Mercy Lewis also joined in, and Natalia got up silently and followed them to the source of the shrieking.

She entered the Parris house, running up the stairs to where she knew Betty Parris's bedroom to be. She stopped outside the door, listening in on the conversation.

"She heard you singing and suddenly she's up and screaming" said the voice she knew to be Abigail's; Natalia blanched at the very thought of the girl.

"The psalm! The psalm! She cannot bear to hear the Lord's name!" called out a voice that sounded vaguely like Goody Putnam.

"No, God forbid, Mercy, run to the doctor! Tell him what's happened here!" Parris's voice said, and Natalia heard heavy footsteps rush towards her.

"Shit." Natalia whispered, trying to run down the stairs before Mercy could see her. But before she left, the door opened and she heard her name called by the girl.

"Natalia?" the heavy girl drawled, walking closer to where the smaller girl stood fixed near the doorway, "What are you doing here?"

"I-" Natalia started, but was stopped when the door behind her opened and answered for her.

"She is here with me to visit the sick child, Betty Parris. Come, dear, lets see what the fuss is about." the figure of Rebecca Nurse answered, coming into the room with her walking stick. Mercy looked over at Natalia, glared once before bowing to Rebecca Nurse and hurrying out the door to fetch the doctor.

Natalia joined Rebecca, walking behind her into the room where she came face to face with the people she hated the most: Abigail Williams and the Putnam family.

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**Next chapter will be posted in about a week.  
Tell this story to your friends, family, and everyone you know!  
**

**And please remember to review. i need to know if this is what you peoples like :)  
(cause i can make more...mwahahhaha)**

With love,  
Soldier of Passion

_Elizabeth is sixteen as well, with long, curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She was also beautiful, but was soft-spoken and quiet around others. Her best friend, Natalia, calls her Buffy._


	2. Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic!

**Dear Readers.**

**Good news. Chapter Two came quickly! Horray! (dont get spoiled, though. I dont update THAT often..ever.)  
Anyways, no Hale in this chapter. :(**

**This chapter is really long for you. I just wanted to show you the events that happened in Natalia's POV. It includes a lot of the characters from the play.  
I thought I would show how they interact with one another. To be fair, this doesnt even have much Natalia in it. oops.**

Oh, and yes, i do copy text from the book...alot. I DONT OWN ANY OF IT THOUGH! ITS ALL ARTHUR MILLERS!

Read and Review. PLEASEEE!

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"_**Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic!"**_

_A word to put in for why Natalia doesn't like the Putnam family. Her elder brother, Peter Paddock, owned a great deal of land in Salem, perhaps fourth after the biggest landowner in Salem, Thomas Putnam. It is not surprising that Thomas Putnam resents Peter Paddock, a very young man to own such a large property, for the land. But we'll speak about Putnam's affair with Salem lands later._

Natalia glared at Abigail, who herself glared back with Goody Putnam at almost the exact same moment. She scowled, as Putnam continued to blaze the word of witchcraft in the room.

"Rebecca, Rebecca, go to her, we're lost. She suddenly cannot bear to her the Lord's-" Parris started to explain, when he got interrupted by the entrance of Giles Corey.

"There is a sickness here, Giles Corey, so please keep the quiet." Rebecca said, walking across the room to the bed to where Betty lay whimpering. Natalia joined her, looking over Rebecca's shoulders as she stood over the child, who quieted.

"What have you done?" asked Goody Putnam, astonished. Rebecca left the bedside, taking a seat near the bed.

"Goody Nurse, will you go to my Ruth and see if you can wake her?" asked Thomas Putnam, his face eager. Rebecca shook her head.

"I think she'll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty six times a grandma," Natalia shuddered, "and I have seen them all though their silly seasons, and when it come on them they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she'll wake when she tires of it. A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back." Rebecca responded.

"Aye, that's the truth of it, Rebecca." John Proctor said. Natalia looked over at Proctor, not realizing that he was even there and frowned at him.

"So, Rebecca, you think Betty and Ruth are just sporting?" Natalia asked.

_Just to put a FINAL word in for Natalia. Natalia and her brother neither agree nor disagree with the idea of witchcraft. She is neutral, and does not believe it nor doubt it. _

"This is no silly season, Rebecca. My Ruth is bewildered, Rebecca; she cannot eat." replied Goody Putnam, silencing Natalia's question with a glare.

"Perhaps she is not hungered yet." Rebecca answered, "I hope you are not decided to go in search of loose spirits, Mr. Parris. I've heard promise of that outside."

Parris shook his head, "A wide opinion's running in the parish that the Devil may be among us, and I would satisfy them that they are wrong."

"Then let you come out and call them wrong. Did you consult the wardens before you called this minister to look for devils?" John Proctor asked.

"He is not coming to look for devils!" Parris retorted, a slight edge of anger peeking in his voice. Natalia smirked, enjoying the discomfort in Parris's manner at being questioned. She never did like him that much, either.

"Then what's he coming for?" Proctor questioned, his own little smirk daring to etch across his mouth.

"There be children dyin' in the village, Mister!" Putnam countered, stepping in to side with Parris as usual. Natalia laughed a little at the irony in which Putnam actually loathed Parris for getting the spot as the minister that Putnam's brother in law had been rejected at.

"I seen none dyin'. This society will not be a bag to swing around your head, Mr. Putnam." Proctor snapped, then focusing his attention on Parris, "Did you call a meeting before you—""I am sick of meetings; cannot the man turn his head without he have a meeting?" Putnam growled.

"He may turn his head, but not to Hell!""Why, I—"

"Pray, gentlemen, be calm" Rebecca silenced the arguing men, "Mr. Parris, I think you best send Reverend Hale back as soon as he come. This will set us all to arguing again in the society, and we thought to have peace this year. I think we ought rely on the doctor now, and good prayer."

"Yes, but Goody Nurse, I heard from Susanna Walcott that the doctor's baffled." Natalia spoke up quietly, the dark beauty gaining attention from everyone in the room for her sudden input.

"If so he is, then let us go to God for the cause of it. There is a prodigious danger in the seeking of loose spirits. I fear it, I fear it. Let us rather blame ourselves and—"

"How may we blame ourselves? I am one of nine sons; the Putnam seed have peopled this province. And yet I have but one child left of eight—and now she shrivels." Putnam snapped.

"I cannot fathom that." Rebecca answered.

"But I must! You think it was God's work you should never lose a child, or grandchild either, and I bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!" Goody Putnam replied sarcastically. Natalia muttered, glad that there wasn't a bunch of Putnam spawn running wild in Salem.

"When Reverend Hale comes, you will proceed to look for signs of witchcraft here." Putnam ordered Parris.

"You cannot command Mr. Parris. We vote by name in this society, not by acreage." said Proctor, glaring at Putnam. Natalia smiled, hoping that if the two of them glared at Putnam long enough he might explode of some sort.

"I never heard you worried so on this society, Mr. Proctor. I do not think I saw you at Sabbath meeting since snow flew." Putnam put in snidely.

"I have trouble enough without I come five mile to hear him preach only hellfire and bloody damnation. Take it to heart, Mr. Parris. There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly mention God any more." Proctor retorted.

Natalia nodded, "Aye, I must say I am sorry to agree with Mr. Proctor. As I live close to him, I must walk five mile as well to get to the church, and by foot no less. As my brother's horses refuse to travel so long in the snow, I must walk." she added, "And I did notice that the sermon this morning was rather…angry, if I may be so bold to say."

Parris, now aroused, "That is too bold, Miss Paddock." he looked over to Proctor, "What a drastic charge be held on my sermons!"

"It's somewhat true; there are many that quail to bring their children—" Rebecca started.

"I do not preach for children, Rebecca. It is not the children who are unmindful of their obligations toward this ministry." Parris snapped.

"Are there really those unmindful?" Rebecca asked.

"I should say the better half of the village—" Parris started, and Putnam finished, "And more than that!"

"Where is my wood? My contract provides I be supplied with all my firewood. I am waiting since November for a stick, and even in November I had to show my frostbitten hands like some London beggar!" Parris added, a new topic emerging from only God knows where.

Natalia frowned, "What does that have to—"

"You are allowed six pound a year to buy your wood, Mr. Parris." Giles Corey spoke up, his voice demanding and concluded.

"I regard that six pound as part of my salary. I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood." Parris muttered.

"Sixty, plus six for firewood—" Proctor started,

"The salary is sixty six pound, Mr. Proctor! I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College." Parris exclaimed, recalling his days as a student in the prodigious college.

"Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic!" Giles Corey replied sarcastically. Natalia laughed quietly.

"Mr. Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord. I do not fathom it, why am I persecuted here?" Parris asked.

"Are you suggesting you are persecuted by your 'lack' of pound that you are given from the society?" Natalia questioned, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Hush, my dear," Natalia scowled at the elders' use of belittlement towards her, "I am suggesting that I cannot offer one proposition but there be a howling riot of argument. I have often wondered if the Devil be in it somewhere; I cannot understand you people otherwise."

"Mr. Parris, you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to this house—" Proctor reprimanded Parris, frowning.

"Man! Don't a minister deserve a house to live in? I have a young daughter, and I want her to be able to say she lives in a home!" Parris fought.

"Perhaps, but to ask ownership is like you shall own the meeting house itself; the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought it were an auction."

Natalia sighed, knowing that this quarrel would last for hours if someone did not end it soon. The people of Salem were infamous for their long, heated arguments that usually did not end up in any way, and the problem remained.

"And you may tell that to your followers!" Natalia heard Parris shout, which instantly caught her attention back to the argument at hand.

"My followers!" exclaimed Parris, with a hint of sarcasm, anger, and amusement mixed together in one outcry.

"There is a party in this church. I am not blind; there is a faction and a party." Parris exclaimed, a rush of furry passing with each breath.

"Against you?" Proctor questioned. Putnam cried, "Against him and all authority!"

"Why, then I must find it and join it." Proctor said, causing a shock and silence among the others in the room. Natalia hid her smile behind her hand, trying to remain discreet.

"He does not mean it." pronounced Rebecca. John scoffed.

"I mean it solemnly, Rebecca; I like not the smell of this "authority"."

"No, you cannot break charity with your minister. You are another kind, John. Clasp his hand, make your peace." Rebecca told him, like a mother scolding her child for doing wrong to another child. John sighed, shaking his head.

"I have crop to sow and lumber to drag home." Proctor stated, walking towards the door, "What say you, Giles? Let's find the party. He says there's a party."

"I've changed my opinion of this man, John. Mr. Parris, I beg your pardon. I never thought you had so much iron in you." Giles said, causing Natalia's eyebrows to rise up in shock. Parris? Has iron?

"Why, thank you, Giles!" Parris said surprised, a smile etching across his face.

"It suggests to the mind what the trouble be among us all these years." Giles explained, "Think on it, you all. Wherefore is everybody suing everybody else? Think on it now, it's a deep thing, and dark as a pit. I have been six time in court this year—"

Natalia sighed, listening to Giles and Proctor now argue about some silly damages that had been charged on John Proctor. Something about someone burning the roof of someone else's house? By God, what was Salem turning into these days?

"A moment, Mr. Proctor. What lumber is it that you're draggin', if I may ask you?" Putnam's voice rang, once again catching the attention of the mind drifting girl.

"My lumber. From out my forest by the riverside." Proctor answered sharply. Natalia cleared her breath, waiting for the worst. Men and acreage did not fit well together, and often led to fights. She silently thanked the Lord that her brother wasn't here, or else he would put his two cents in as well.

"Why, we are surely gone wild this year. What anarchy is this? That tract is in my bounds, Mr. Proctor." Putnam told him, a sneer forming on his lips. Natalia narrowed her eyes.

"In your bounds!" Proctor lashed, "I bought that tract from Goody Nurse's husband five months ago." he looked towards Natalia, "And as far as I know Peter Paddock owns a large part of that tract as well."

"He had no right to sell it. It stands clear in my grandfather's will that all the land between the river and —"

"Excuse me, are you calling my brother—" Natalia started, but got cut off again.

"Your grandfather had a habit of willing land that never belonged to him, if I may say it plain." Proctor snapped. "Damn being a female." she muttered, recalling the fact that everyone cuts her off in mid sentence.

"That's God's truth; he nearly willed away my north pasture but he knew I'd break his fingers before he'd set his name to it. Let's get your lumber home, John. I feel a sudden will to working coming on." Giles spoke up, turning to Proctor and nodding at him. They start out, with Putnam yelling behind them, "I'll have my men on you, Corey! I'll clap a writ on you!" Natalia rolled her eyes..._Men._

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**Guess who is coming up next chapter? You know who :) ! And a LOT of HIM!  
Remember, Hale will love you almost as much as he loves me if you REVIEW!**

With love,  
Soldier of Passion


	3. a tasty love of intellectual pursuit

**Hey Readers!**

**Third installment has been posted! And theres lots of Johnny Hale for you here, so yay! All Hail John Hale!**

**Remember to Review! I cant post chapters if I dont know that anyones reading this!**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own The Crucible, which comes from the brilliant mind of Arthur Miller.

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**Chapter Three.**

John Hale sniffed softly, his nose slightly stuffy from the cold, winter nights of New England. He looked outside; his carriage finally made it into the outskirts of Salem. His green eyes scanned the carriage, his eyes searching for his books on spirits and curing witchcraft. He found the large books, and groaned thinking of their weight and how he must carry them into the village.

His horse stopped, and he looked outside to find himself in the heart of the village. He stretched, taking time to regain the feeling in his cramped muscles and gathered his books into his arms. Placing a strand of brown hair off his face, he stepped out of the carriage and onto the dirt road.

The first thing John's eyes took sight of was a large group of people heading his way. He dismissed it, knowing most likely they were anxious for him to discover and define whatever ails the sick children. He smiled, feeling pride glower within as young man would on his first call to action.

"Pray you, someone take these." he grunted, his arms heavy with the half a dozen heavy books. He looked over to see the familiar face of the reverend Samuel Parris walking towards him, smiling and holding his arms out.

"Mr. Hale! Oh! its good to see you again!" Samuel Parris said delightedly, taking some books out of John's hands, "My, they're heavy!"

John smirked, following Mr. Parris into the house and setting down his books, "They must be; they are weighted with authority."

"Well, you do come prepared!" Parris noted, and John did not miss the timid tone to his fellow minister's voice. He wouldn't call him his friend, though they both attended Harvard and became reverends. More like old acquaintances.

"We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy." Hale answered, his eyes dissecting and defining the faces in the room. John smiled, his eyes focusing on an old woman in the corner of the room, who gave off an aura of goodness and godliness.

"You cannot be Rebecca Nurse?" Hale asked.

"I am, sir. Do you know me?" Rebecca asked, her face forming into an expression of surprise.

Hale beamed, a small smile forming on his lips, happy to finally have met the woman who he respected so much, "It's strange how I knew you, but I suppose you look as such a good soul should. We have all heard of your great charities in Beverly."

Parris coughed, "Do you know this gentleman? Mr. Thomas Putnam. And his good wife Ann." he gestured to a tall, redheaded man and a short woman next to each other.

"Putnam! I had not expected such distinguished company!" Hale said pleasantly, shaking the man's hand and smiling.

"It does not seem to help us today, Mr. Hale. We look to you to come to our house and save our child." Putnam said, pleased at Hale's knowledge of him.

John Hale frowned, his eyebrows narrowing, "Your child ails too?" he asked, concern etching in his voice. He was only told of one sick child, but _two._ This may be more important and difficult then he had thought.

"Her soul, her soul seems flown away. She sleeps and yet she walks…" Goody Putnam started, her voice shallow of emotion.

"She cannot eat." Putnam finished, but unlike his wife, his voice is grave with fear.

"Cannot eat!" John gasped; perhaps there was more to this then he first thought. The children, if under the powerful spell of witchcraft, must be examined as soon as possible. He had meant to check in a few days, after some well deserved rest from the long journey from Beverly, but if this is the case…

Witchcraft and the devil were a precise science, there was no time to dally when the works of evil may be clawing at the innocence of children.

He saw two men standing the corner, seeming just as lost and confused as the rest of the villagers, "Do you men have afflicted children?" Hale asked, his green eyes deepening in concern over more children. John looked over as Parris cleared his throat, shaking his head.

"No, no, these are farmers. John Proctor—"

"He don't believe in witches." one of the men spoke up, and older, sturdy man who looked to be in his early eighties. Hale frowned, _doesn't believe in witches?_

"I never spoke on witches one way or the other." the man, Hale had learned to be John Proctor, answered. He was probably in his mid thirties, and had a strong, yet seemingly broken, presence about him Hale found. Proctor sighed, looking down then at the older farmer, "Will you come, Giles?"

Giles sighed, "No—no, John, I think not. I have some few queer questions of my own to ask this fellow."

Proctor looked Hale in the eyes, his smile shifting into a frown, "I've heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you'll leave some of it in Salem."

John Hale blinked, noting the man's sarcasm and looking embarrassedly towards the ground. John scowled slightly, feeling a blush burning against his cheeks at the awkward comment.

Parris, sensing his discomfort ran towards him at once, "Will you look at my daughter, sir?" he asked, leading Hale up the stairs into the child's bedroom where she lay sleeping quietly, "She has tried to leap out the window; we discovered her this morning on the highroad, waving her arms as though she'd fly."

Hale narrowed his green eyes, "Tries to fly."

"She cannot bear to hear the Lord's name! That's a sure sign of witchcraft afloat." Thomas Putnam stated, his eyes blazing with proof.

He frowned, recalling the woman who had been accused of witchcraft in his parish at Beverly. It so happened that the woman was innocent to a witch, and the afflicted child had recovered her normal behavior after Hale had allowed her to stay at his house to rest. That did not raise a doubt in his mind about witchcraft, mind you, but still, if the girl hadn't recovered, the innocent woman would've—. John shuddered.

"No, no. Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of hell upon her."

Parris nodded, relieved of the reverend's reasoning against Putnam's quick actions, "It is agreed, sir—it is agreed—we will abide by your judgment."

"Good then." Hale smiled, making his way to the bed where Betty Parris lay dormant.

He looked at the young girl, her face pale against the dark brown curls that lay against her cheeks. Her eyes were tightly closed as if fearing for her life, and he barely noticed the small droplets of sweat that were scattered across her forehead. He bent down, grabbing a chair and pushing himself towards the bed. John grabbed one of her hands, searching for signs or marks of the devil on her skin, and frowned, looking over at Parris.

"What were your first warning of this strangeness?" Hale asked.

Parris cleared his throat, sighing and looking towards the floor, "Why sir," he started, his voice somewhat ashamed, "I discovered Betty," he indicated a young woman in the corner of the room, "and my niece Abigail and ten or twelve of the other girls, dancing in the forest last night."

John looked over his niece, Abigail, is mild shock. The girl looked to be about seventeen years old, and was rather pretty yet there was a rather chilling aura about the girl. But _dancing?_ The niece and daughter of a minister could not be doing such profane things. And in the forest? The devil's chapel?

He looked at another young woman in the room, who looked about the same age as his niece. She had long dark raven hair, not bothering to pull it back inside the white cap that was adorned above her head. She had dark brown eyes, which seemed to be glared with an intensity at Thomas Putnam's wife. If Abigail had be pretty, than this girl was beautiful.

"Natalia Paddock, I best not have heard that you were a part of this nonsense." Rebecca Nurse looked over at the girl sternly, who quickly shook her head.

"No, Goody Nurse." she said, looking down, "I wasn't invited." she added in a whisper, Hale observing that nobody else heard her but him.

John Hale shook his head, looking questioningly at Parris, surprised, "You permit dancing?"

"No, no, it were secret—" Parris stuttered, his voice broken.

"Mr. Parris's slave Tituba has knowledge of conjourin', sir!" Mrs. Putnam spoke up, her voice slightly shaking with excitement.

Parris shook his head again, "We cannot be sure of that, Goody Ann."

The woman grounded her teeth, "I know it, sir. I sent my child—my Ruth—she should learn from Tituba who murdered her sisters."

Rebecca gasped, "Goody Ann! You sent your own child to conjure up the dead?"

"Let God blame me, not you Rebecca! I'll not have you judging me!" Ann Putnam cried, her pale blue eyes wandering frantically over at Hale, "It is nature work to lose seven children before they live a day?"

Hale frowned, "Seven dead in childbirth." He could not imagine what the woman had gone through. He had not fathered any children himself, finding it hard to find time in search of a wife when he was so busily studying the practice and the examination of the black man. He heard her whisper "aye", and looked at one of his books, scrutinizing the pages for the signs of the Devil.

"What book do you have there?" Parris asked, slightly leaning over his shoulder to see. "Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises. Here are all your familiar sprits, your incubi and succubi; witches that go by land, by air, and by sea; your wizards of the night and of the day."

Hale smiled, his eyes blazing with fierce triumph as he spoke with such knowledge, "Have no fear now—we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!"

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**So thats the third chapter? Did you like it? Review and tell me :)**

Anyways, I was planning on pairing Natalia's friend Buffy with someone, but im not sure who. These are the likeliest candidates:  
-Peter Paddock  
-Cheever  
-Thomas Putnam  
(tell me which one you like!)

The fourth chapter will hopefully be up shortly. Love you all! ~

-Soldier of Passion


	4. You are God's Instrument

**Hey Readers!**

**Sooo...fourth chapter up! Hope you like it.**

I just want to clarify a couple of things. For one thing, when I imagined Hale and Tituba, I imagined her being shocked at his comfort and kindness towards her. I no way is he being affectionate towrds her out of love, but he is just a kind man.  
Oh, and Reverend Hale looks like the Robert Campbell version of him in the Crucible. And Robert Campbell is kind of short, so that means Hale is too. But i like a short Hale. lol.

So i hope you enjoy the chapter! Remember to Review!

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**You are God's Instrument! **

Natalia shuddered, the topic of witchcraft and the Devil creating a cold presence in the room. She looked at the reverend from Beverly, a bit shocked.

She expected Reverend Hale to be similar to all of the past ministers that had come to visit Salem. They had been old, cranky reverends who had nothing on their mind but collecting their money and leaving as quick as possible.

Reverend Hale, however, was quite young for a learned and highly respected minister, looking about twenty five years old at the most. He had medium length brown hair and green eyes. She giggled softly, noting his rather short height compared to the tall men around him.

She watched as Rebecca frowned, rising from her chair beside the sleeping form of Betty Parris. Rebecca shook her head, "I think I'll go." she sighs, "I am too old for this."

Reverend Parris got up suddenly as well, "Rebecca, we just may open up the boil of all our troubles today! Surely you do not want to leave on such an important time."

Rebecca nodded, "Let us hope for that." she looked towards Natalia, "Are you coming dear? You are welcome to stay for dinner tonight with Francis and I if you want."

Natalia smiled, her dark eyes brightening the room "I surely will, but I think I will stay here for a while."

Rebecca smiled, then looked towards Parris and the rest of the people in the house, "I go to God for you, sir."

"I surely hope you do not mean we go to Satan here." Paris stated quietly, resentment and fear laying thick inside his voice.

Rebecca paused, as if searching for what to say, "I wish I knew."

Natalia almost wished to laugh at the rooms sudden quietness and contentment. She knew that Rebecca always managed to make people feel less superior and bad about their sins and actions, but this was ridiculous. She almost felt bad for Parris and Putnam…_almost_.

But she didn't feel bad for Mrs. Putnam. Oh no, she lost all sympathy for the woman years ago. She didn't give a damn how many babies Ann Putnam lost…for all she knew, Goody Putnam deserved it.

"Come, Mr. Hale, let's get on with it." Putnam started, clearing away the awkward silence that had been created by the tension in the room. Hale nodded, looking down at Betty, brown stands of hair suddenly falling in his face. Natalia resisted the urge to wipe them aside. She blushed, pink suddenly forming on her pale cheeks like roses. She put her hand to her cheeks to cover the blush in case Abigail was watching.

John Hale looked up, his green eyes scanning the room and resting on all their faces, "Now mark me, if the Devil is in her you will witness some frightful wonders in this room, so please keep your wits about you."

Natalia gulped, imagining a mass of red and black demons emerging out of Betty Parris's body with knives and pitchforks. She giggled, picturing John Hale with a giant crucifix fighting with the demons like some sort of reverend knight.

"Mr. Putnam, stand close in case she flies." he said, causing Natalia to picture Betty flying about the room breathing fire like a dragon, "Now, Betty, dear, will you sit up?"

The minister sat Betty up, her from the sleeping posture. She hangs limp in his arms, her head titled backwards and mouth loosely opened. Hale observes her carefully, his eyebrows narrowing and sighing. "Can you hear me, Betty? I am John Hale, minister of Beverly. I have come to help you, dear. Do you remember me? I am friends with your father."

"How can it be the Devil? Why would he choose my house to strike? We have all manner of licentious people in the village!" Parris cried.

Hale shook his head, sighing to himself, "What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad? It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?"

"Betty! Answer Mr. Hale! Betty!" Parris called, walking over a gently shaking Betty.

"Does someone afflict you, child? It need not be a woman, mind you, or a man. Perhaps some bird invisible to others comes to you. A pig, a mouse, any beast at all? Is there some figure that bids you to fly?" he sighs, sensing no reaction and lays her down on the pillow, "In nomine Domini Sabaoth sui filiique ite ad infernos."

Hale growled in frustration, his green eyes turning sternly into the direction of Abigail, narrowing harshly "Abigail, what sort of dancing were you doing with her in the forest?"

Abigail froze, her brown eyes searching the room frantically, "Why—common dancing is all."

Parris shook his head, his voice tired and upset with grief "I think I saw a kettle in the grass where they were dancing."

"That were only soup." Abigail responded fast, "Lentils and beans."

Hale looked from Abigail to Parris, then sighed, "Mr. Parris, you did not notice, did you, any living thing in the kettle? A mouse, perhaps, a spider, a frog?"

"That jumped in, we never put it in!" Abigail exclaimed quickly.

"What jumped in?" he asked acidly.

"Why, a very little frog jumped—"

Hale strode forward, grasping Abigail sternly, staring intensely into her eyes, "Abigail, it may be that your cousin is dying. Did you call the Devil last night?"

Abigail stood in fear, looking around for a glimmer of hope in the faces of the people in the room. Hale sighed.

"Who are the rest of the girls who danced in the forest; I want their names." Hale added, his eyes resting on Parris and Putnam.

….

The group of girls sat in the chairs, not one of them looking at each other. Hale was before them, pacing up and down the group looking into the faces of each girl. Natalia sat with the girls; apparently Parris and Putnam just named the number of young girls in the town and requested that they come as well. She noticed Buffy was sitting next to Mary Warren, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

Hale looked at the girls that had been brought to the Salem Courthouse. The girls there included Abigail Williams, Mercy Lewis, Susanna Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Warren, Elizabeth Barron, Mary Walcott, Susanna Sheldon, Sarah Bibber, Rebecca Averill, Margaret Calef, and Natalia Paddock.

"Somebody called the Devil in that forest." he said, "Was there one among you who drank from the kettle."

He continued pacing, looking each girl in the face to try and scrutinize the characters of these young children. He searched for any weakness. "Who led you to dance in the forest?" he finally found a girl at the end, a nervous looking girl who looked as if she was about to burst out in fright, "Who?!"

The girl squeaked when realizing he was calling out to her, and nervously pointed down to the end of the line of girls. He looked over, and saw Abigail Williams. He walked hastily over to her, his eyes narrowed at the minister's niece.

"Not me! It wasn't I!" Abigail said defensively, her face detached of any nervousness.

"Then who was it?" he asked, thoroughly irritated by the girls' lack of discipline and help, "Your cousin and Ruth Putnam's lives are at stake! Who?!"

"Tituba—"

"I knew it!" Goody Ann shouted. Natalia rolled her eyes.

Hale frowned, "I shall like to speak with Tituba."

Parris sighed, exhaustion written all over his face and through his wrinkled brow, "Goody Ann, will you bring her up?"

"Aye, sir." Goody Ann said, then walked out of the courthouse to fetch Tituba.

Hale ran his hands through his hair, relieved that he had finally gotten something out of the children. They all looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue with the series of questioning. He sighed, looking at Abigail once more.

"How did she call him?"

"I know not—she spoke Barbados."

"Did you feel any strangeness when she called him? A sudden cold wind, perhaps? A trembling below the ground?"

"I didn't see no Devil!" Abigail cried, looking towards the girls for support. They each copied her, nodding their heads, except for the dark haired girl he saw earlier and a blonde girl next to the girl who pointed to Abigail. He walked towards the blonde, her blue eyes looking at the girl next to her, comforting her.

"Did you see the Devil in the forest?" he asked quietly. Perhaps that is why she is not nodding with the others. She looked up at him, confusion written across her face.

"Reverend Hale, sir, I know not what is going on. I was not even in the forest with these girls." she replied, "I was with Natalia when this happened and we were doing our morning chores."

He looked towards the dark haired girl who had said earlier to Rebecca Nurse that she did not attend either, "Is this true, Miss Paddock, was this girl with you?"

The dark haired girl nodded, "Aye, sir. Buffy—I mean, Elizabeth—was with I when this happened."

Hale looked at her once more, then nodded, looking towards the group of girls once again, then towards Abigail Williams, "Did your cousin drink any of the brew in the kettle?"

"She never drank it!"

"Did you drink it, Abigail?"

"No, sir!"

"Did Tituba ask you to drink it?"

"She tried, but I refused."

Hale could tell the girl was weakening, finally giving in to his questioning, "Why are you concealing? Have you sold yourself to Lucifer?"

As much as he wanted her to answer and confess, he still hoped that she denied it. If Satan had reached Samuel Parris's niece, who had lived with the minister for quite some time, then he was sure all was lost. He hated to imagine the girls in front of him signing the Devil's book and flying in the air like heathen.

"I never sold myself! I'm a good girl! A proper girl!" Abigail responded, her voice shaking with what he assumed both fear and anger. He heard a muffled snort, but dismissed it, as Goody Ann ran in with a slave.

Abigail suddenly rose up, pointing at Tituba with a fierce call, "She made me do it! She made Betty do it!"

"Abby!" Tituba cried, her expression ranging from shock to anger.

"She makes me drink blood!" Abigail cried, pointing at her wildly. Goody Ann gasped.

"Blood! My baby's blood?" she screeched, "Did you murder my babies, Tituba? Who murdered them?"

Tituba shook her head, cowering in the corner, "No, no, chicken blood. I give she chicken blood!"

Hale scowled, "Woman, have you enlisted these children for the Devil?" Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Tituba looked up at him, her dark eyes large and red with tears, "No, no, sir, I don't truck with no Devil!"

Hale ignored this, "Why can she not wake?" he scowled, "Have you sent your spirit out upon this child? Are you gathering souls for the Devil?"

Abigail gasped, her voice quivering in frightfulness, "She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!"

Parris got up, "She have often laughed at prayer!" Tituba continues to cry, "You beg me conjure! She beg me make charm!"

Abigail walks towards Hale, her large brown eyes searching frantically at his green ones, stumbling towards him, "She comes to me while I sleep; she makes me dream corruptions!" she stopped, her body shaking uncontrollably and looked towards him again, "Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body! And she does that! Singing her damn Barbados songs…tempting me!"

Tituba shook her head, "Mister Reverend, I never—"Hale looked down at Abigail, who was clutching on to him with large, wet tears rolling down her face. He resisted the urge to wipe her tears, and looked at Tituba with a defiance in his green eyes, "Tituba, I want you to wake the children. Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam."

Tituba shook her head, "I have no power on the child, sir."

Hale scowled, walking towards her, "You most certainly do, and you will free her from it now! When did you compact with the Devil?"

Tituba cried, shaking her head more, "I don't compact with no Devil!"

Hale wanted to growl, her resistance to confession bothering him greatly. At first he didn't want to jump to conclusions about the girls being possessed by the Devil, but now all the evidence proves it tremendously. There was no doubt that the woman had made compact with the Devil and possibly enlisted the girls as witches for Lucifer.

"You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!" Parris shouted, towering over the cowering woman. Hale sighed, he really hated whipping.

Putnam scowled at the woman, then looked towards Hale and Parris, "This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!"

Tituba gasped, then cried, falling to her knees and grasping at his legs in mercy, "No, no, don't hang Tituba! I tell him…I tell him I don't desire to work for him!"

Hale sighed, looking towards the weeping woman at his foot in pity, "You poor woman. He has you at the neck this very instance, doesn't he?"

Tituba, her dark face covered in tears and her eyes now slightly swollen nodded.

….

Hale dragged Tituba into Betty Parris's room, sitting her down in a chair next to the sleeping child. Natalia came in with the rest of the girls, everyone excited and terrified of what has happened to leave. Buffy motioned for her to come closer, and Natalia walked towards her friend. The Putnams were in the room, along with Giles Corey and Reverend Parris.

"Now, I know when we bind ourselves to Hell it is very hard to break with it. We are going to help you tear yourself free of the hands of Satan" Hale smiled at the poor slave, his hands grasping her fragile face, "You would be a good Christian woman, would you not, Tituba?"

Tituba nodded, her crying ceased from the little amount of affection and compassion she had been given in so long, "Aye, sir, a good Christian woman."

"And you love these little children?"

Tituba nodded, "Oh yes, sir, I don't desire to hurt little children."

Hale looked deeply at her face, searching for her soul, "And you love God, Tituba?"

Tituba sniffed, nodding fiercely, "Aye, I love God with all my bein'"

Hale nodded, "Now, in God's holy name—" Tituba nodded, "Bless Him. Bless Him." she trembled, rocking on her knees and sobbing. Hale kindly soothed the sobbing woman, "And to His glory—". Tituba nodded, "Eternal glory. Bless Him…bless God."

Hale nodded, gulping away the force of tears of happiness from the confession, "Open yourself, Tituba—let God's holy light shine on you."

Hale looked away, struggling for the right words to say to the weeping woman, "Now Tituba, when the Devil comes to you does he ever come—with another person?" he looked at her suddenly frightened face, "Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know?"

Parris spoke up, "Who came with him?" he asked. Putnam joined in, "Was it Sarah Good? Did you ever see Sarah Good with him? Or Osborne ?"

"It was black dark, and I—"

"You could see him, why could you not see her?" Parris asked, towering over the suddenly cowering woman who once again started to cry.

Tituba started to crawl across the room, scrambling to get away from Parris on her hands and knees, "Well, they were always talking and runnin' around and carryin' on—"

Hale walks calmly towards her, taking her hands into his, "Tituba. You must have no fear to tell us who they are, do you understand? I will protect you. The Devil can never overcome a minister. You know that, do you not."

She nodded, surprised at the minister's somewhat display of affection, which she never got for a long time. She kissed his hand, crying, "Aye, sir, oh, I do."

"You have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks a wish to come to Heaven's side. And we will bless you, Tituba." Hale told her, watching Tituba's face brighten in relief as she blessed him, "You are God's instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil's agents among us. You are chosen to help us cleanse the village. So speak utterly, turn your back on him and face God—face God, Tituba, and God will protect you."

Tituba stopped crying, sniffling softly as her breathing grew less rapid and into a steady calm, "Oh, God, protect Tituba."

Hale nodded, smiling kindly, "Who came to you with the Devil? Two? Three? Four?"

Tituba pants, beginning to rock back and forth again while staring straight ahead, avoiding any eye contact with the minister, "There was four. Four."

Natalia and Buffy looked at each other, blue eyes and brown eyes meeting in wonder. Four witches? Here, in Salem? They looked towards the broken down slave, as she was questioned by Reverend Parris. They watched in amazement as she snapped at him, telling how the Devil came to her bribing her with pretty dresses and a ride back home to Barbados. Natalia felt bad for the witch suddenly, understanding the great bribe of being able to be back home with her family.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Tituba call out, "there was Goody Good! And Goody Osborne!"

"I knew it!" Goody Ann cried suddenly, gaining the attention from everyone in the room, "Goody Osborne were midwife to me three time. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? My babies always shriveled in her hands!"

Hale looked at Tituba once again, her hands sweating in his, "Take courage, you must give us all the names. How can you bear to see this child suffer." he indicated Betty Parris on the bed, who still had not awakened from the spell, "Look at her God given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her. The Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a young lamb. God will bless you for your help."

Suddenly Abigail Williams burst forward, gaining the attention of the room. Her brown eyes were wide and her mouth open, her hand touching her heart as she cried out, "I want to open myself! I want the light of God; the sweet love of Jesus!" she cried, stumbling towards Hale and grasping at his legs, "I dance for the Devil; I saw him and wrote in his book. But I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand!"

She cried, "I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osborne with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!"

Suddenly Betty Parris awaked, her hazel eyes wide and feverish and chating along with her cousin, "I saw George Jacobs with the Devil! I saw Goody Howe with the Devil!"

"She speaks! She speaks!" Parris cried, rushing to embrace his daughter.

Hale smiled, his lips cracking into a huge grin and his green eyes bright with happiness, "Glory to God! It is broken, they are free!". Hale rushes over to Parris and embrace each other in a tight hug, as God has showered salvation upon the room and the children.

"I saw Martha Bellows with the Devil!" Betty cried; Mercy Lewis spoke up, "I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!"; Susanna Walcott shouted "I saw Alice Barrow with the Devil!"; Abigail screamed "I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!". The cries went on, as the girls shouted out names.

Natalia and Buffy looked at each other; this would not end well.

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**Review!**

Hope you liked it!  
-Soldier of passion


	5. Dangerous Accusations

**Hey Readers!**

**I am here to tell you that I am very honored by those who HAVE reviewed. I understand the horrible fact that there is hardly ANY crucible fanfiction STORIES and so little of them about the amazingly sexy Reverend John Hale. For all those fellow fangirls....I JUST GOT THE CRUCIBLE ON DVD FOR CHRISTMAS!**

**thats right. be jealous, that I can watch John Hale from my own room whenever I want. Ahhhh, sexy Hale amazingness. -glomps Hale-**

**Hale: Help me! Help me! She's raping me!  
Theresa: Shhhhhhhh! Quiet, my pet! -glomps more- On with the reading!**

Here is the fifth installment of what is most likely going to be the greatest Crucible fanfiction story EVER.

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**Chapter Five.**

Natalia and Buffy ran out of Parris's house, clutching their bonnets to their heads to keep the wind from knocking them off. Neither looked at each other as they ran, not heading anywhere but away from the house. They finally stopped when the reached the outside part of Salem, and laid down on the grassy hill. They lay there panting for what seemed like hours, replaying the events that had just happened not but ten minutes ago in their minds.

Natalia rolled over to face Buffy, her brown eyes searching her friend's blue eyes for answers. Her eyes held no answers, but fear, and they both stopped panting and gulped. Natalia sighed, taking her white bonnet off her head and throwing it across the field, allowing the long, black tresses to cascade around her head. She frowned at it, she always wanted to cut it. Buffy did the same with her brown bonnet, allowing her golden blonde curls to flow out.

"Buffy, what has happened?" Natalia asked her friend, "Do you really suppose all those people, all our neighbors, who have been so friendly and kind to us, could really be secretly bound to the Devil?"

Buffy shrugged, picking a lilac flower from the field and slowly plucking it, "I don't know. The girls really seemed to be possessed; look at Betty." she replied, "Perhaps when we visit Rebecca Nurse tonight she will make some sense of this for us."

She nodded, sighing. She looked up at the sky, which was a pale blue with not a cloud in the sky. They looked up as they heard footsteps walking towards them, seeing distant figures come closer to their resting spot.

Putnam, Parris, and Hale were walking towards the Putnam residence, which was a bit further from the grassy hill at which they were resting on. The two girls looked at each other, then raised their hands to their heads and looked around for the bonnets that they through in the wind. They cursed, noticing that the bonnets had flew about a mile away and had absolutely no chance of grabbing them before the three men saw them.

"Miss Barron. Miss Paddock, what a surprise." they heard a drawl voice, and the two girls flinched as they looked at each other. They reluctantly turned to face the scandalized face of Reverend Parris, the smirking face of Thomas Putnam, and the innocently confused face of John Hale.

"Good evening, Mr. Putnam." Natalia said, "Reverend Parris. Reverend Hale."

Buffy nodded, "Good Evening." she looked towards Reverend Parris, "Betty is doing better?"

Reverend Parris nodded, "Yes, she is fine. God has healed her soul and now she is up and running with the other girls."

Hale looked at Natalia, "We are now just going to see if Mr. Putnam's Ruth has awakened as well."

Natalia nodded, "Aye. We just saw Mercy Lewis and Abigail Williams run this way a few minutes ago, running towards your house. They must be checking on her too."

Hale nodded, his green eyes suddenly cast downwards at his feet as if they were the most fascinating things he'd ever seen. Natalia fought the creeping blush, looking towards Buffy who was suddenly very interested in picking the flowers, desperately trying to ignore the presence of the three older gentlemen that had caught them without their bonnets.

"Well," Reverend Parris started, feeling the awkward and embarrassing silence, "Perhaps we shall get going." he looked towards Putnam and Hale, who nodded there heads. They tipped their hats to the girls, then walked along, their dark capes rusting in the wind.

The two girls looked at each other, then ran tumbling down the large, grassy hill to their bonnets. They laughed, grabbing the bonnets and smacking them against each other, giggling. The bonnets then clasped on their heads, and there laughs faded as their faces became more serious.

Natalia looked over at Buffy, her friends blonde curls masking her eyes, "Are you alright?" she asked quietly, trying to be as comforting and understandable as possible to the fragile girl in front of her. Buffy had always been fragile, with her skinny arms and legs and delicate body. She always seemed so breakable, while Natalia herself tried to be strong enough for the two of them, who had become over the years as close as sisters as possible.

Buffy shrugged, "He frightens me so, Natalia." she whispered, "He frightens me."

Her whispered words would not stir anyone who happened across the conversation so much. Many people in Salem were frightened, mostly of God's divine power and Satan's evil grasp. It wasn't uncommon to hear whispered prayers in the town of how frightened people may be. Whether they were frightened that a member of their family may die, or that God would become angry at a sin they committed and strike down a plague upon their house. Theology was a demanding practice, that which government and God mixed in such a way that it was almost a dictatorship of the church, its own rules governing and making fear of its parishioners to do whatever the church commanded.

Natalia, however, understood what Buffy was afraid of. She was neither afraid of God, all knowing that her life followed the Christian life completely, nor was she afraid of the Devil, whom she believed would not overcome her holy life. She was, however, afraid of losing a woman's most sacred vessel. And her fear of Thomas Putnam grew more and more pronounced as the years went on.

Natalia went over and hugged her friend, wiping the tears that lay upon her blushing pink cheeks. She kissed her head, whispering words of comfort as a mother may for her weeping child. Buffy's tearing reduced to sniffling, and the tears began to fade in her large, watery blue eyes. Natalia smiled, poking the tip of her friends nose with a laugh, earning a small giggle from the blonde.

"It's almost time that we go to Rebecca's house," Natalia started, groaning as she got up from the ground, wiping the dirt that gathered on her grey dress, "How about we start heading down and help her out with the cooking? I have heard Martha Corey say she'd be there as well, hmm? Come now, it'll be a nice, quiet dinner with our friends."

She extended her hand, Buffy grasping it and dusting off her pale yellow dress. They giggled, walking side by side clumsily down the hill off towards the Nurse residence.

….

Hale smiled, watching as Ruth Putnam ran around the backyard garden of the Putnam house with Betty Parris, the two children laughing in glee. It seemed almost unbelievable that not two hours before that they were in bed, ensnarled by the spell at which Parris's slave Tituba had put on them by force from the Devil.

Goody Ann Putnam offers him a drink of cider, which he smiles and kindly refuses. He half-heartedly listens as Thomas Putnam tells him and Mr. Parris about the land he owns, boasting of his good amount of 600 acres of land.

Hale sits quietly, remembering the two girls that he had run into on the way. What were their names again? Natalia Paddock and Elizabeth Barron, was it? He sighs, running a hand through his thick brown hair. He made himself a fool in front of the girl, and he fought a creeping blush. She obviously thought him a fool. And he looked one, too. He was completely idiotic looking standing next to Thomas Putnam, who stood tall at a good six feet, while he himself only stood at about 5"8.

He shook his head, releasing himself from such thoughts as Parris asked him to make the sermon in church next Sunday. Hale nodded, then went back to watching the little girls laugh and roll around in the flowery fields, the sun shining above their innocent heads like halos on the precious angels that God had saved.

….

Natalia picked up the fork and started poking at the small cut of meat on her table, starting to imagine Abigail's head in it. The meal was fully focused on the events of today, and how the girls cried witchcraft of several people in the village. She looked up to find Rebecca staring at her, concern etched in her old eyes.

"Natalia, dear, are you all right?" she asked.

She dropped her fork sharply, a sneer forming on her lips, "I don't like this, Rebecca. How do you know we can trust Abigail and the other girls?" she looked over to Buffy, who was talking quietly to Martha Corey. Buffy looked up, then nodded her head in agreement.

"It's not that I don't believe in witchcraft, I do," Buffy started, "It's just that Abigail Williams has been known to…to stretch the truth, I dare say."

Rebecca Nurse sighed, placing her hands together and resting her head, "You know that I don't much approve of the seeking of loose spirits." she started, looking towards her husband whose face wore a similar expression of grief, "but we cannot start a riot and lose our heads over anger. And we must not put the blame on one person alone," her eyes flickered towards Natalia, who pouted in return, "every person is responsible for the society's actions. If one person loses head, we all do. We must act together as a society."

Natalia and Buffy looked at eachother, and both resisted the urge to snort. Of course Rebecca Nurse always saw the good and beauty in others, and those others, perhaps, like Abigail Williams, that do not deserve such kindness. Natalia sighed, poking her meat again and staying quiet. After a couple minutes of quiet, the two men stirred up conversation about land and Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse talked about their children and granchildren.

"How is your brother Peter, Natalia?" Francis Nurse asked, looking at the dark haired girl. Natalia shrugged,

"He's fine, thank you. He is in Westford at the moment, with relatives. Our aunt and uncle who are quiet old now and cannot do much labor need help on their farm and my brother said he would help our cousin with the farmwork." she answered, "I think that my dear aunt is trying to set him up with her friend's daughter." she laughed, looking at Buffy who spit out her water and started laughing her head off, "Im not quite sure how that is going to work out, though. Dear Peter has never done good staying with a girl. Usually ends up chasing after some other girl when things start becoming regular and serious."

Francis and Giles laughed, nodding and remembering their young friend's talent for mischief, "Yes, I'm not sure if he's very good at steady relationships. He always told us that it was more likely that you were going to marry and settle down before he does." Giles said, laughing.

Natalia laughed, eyebrows raised high and smile unsure, "Well, I'm not too sure about that. I'm not looking for anything serious at the moment," she looked towards Buffy whose eyes started to water from laughter, as she started banging her fist on the table. They never felt the need to act ladylike around Giles Corey or Francis Nurse, who were like adoptive uncles towards the young orphan girls. They could laugh their heads off and band their fists as much as they want without a second glance.

Buffy stopped laughing, and her expression suddenly turned serious, looking towards their older friends, "We've had a wonderful time tonight but I think Natalia and I must be heading off now." she smiled.

Natalia looked at Buffy, who had an innocent but serious expression on her face. However, she did not miss that slight mischivious glint in her blue eyes and the slight twitching smile on her lips that lasted only a second. She knew it would be a mistake, but she was going to play in to whatever game Buffy had up her sleaves. She looked towards the others and smiled, nodding her head, "Yes, its getting late and we have to wake up early tomarrow to feed the pigs." she got up from her seat, brushing her dress, "Thank you so much for the dinner, we'll have to do it another time."

The adults nodded and bid them goodbye, leaving the two girls to walk towards their houses. After two minutes of silence, Natalia looked over at her smiling friend, her dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"So, why did you make us leave dinner?" she asked, watching her friend's smile enlarge into a giant grin, as she looked towards Natalia, her blue eyes dancing with humor.

"Well, I wanted to discuss with you the topic that had arrived during dinner," she said, her light features shining with humor with Natalia's dark features narrowing in distrust, "I thought considering what I saw today, that this would be a good time to discuss it. Without the prying of the adults to bother us."

Natalia glared, "What topic are you talking about? Discuss what?" Buffy grinned larger as they soon approached their houses, her small house a few houses down to the left and Natalia's up long ahead.

Buffy grinned, walking backwards towards her house with her hands cupped behind her back, her face turning all innocent, "Well, I just wanted to discuss some...things, " her smile grew, "Such as, well I don't know, Reverend Hale?"

Natalia's stomach turned, and she fought back the creeping blush that dared flush her pale face. She glared, her voice filled with contempt as she walked towards Buffy mennacingly, "What do you mean—"

Buffy grinned, her innocent expression changing into one completely devilish, "I can't talk right now. I'll see you tomarrow, Natalia!" she called quickly, running into her house and slamming the door before Natalia could yell at her.

Natalia scowled at the closed door, turned on her heel, and trudged back down to her house in complete and utter silence, that not even the night owls or wolves dared make a noise while the dark beauty was angry.

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**Did you like it? tell me and review!  
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Hopefully the next chapter will come quicker this time. i can't believe i waited a whole two weeks :O  
lol. love you all! **

**-Soldier of Passion**


	6. The Arrival

**Hey Readers!**

**Sorry for the long update. My mind has been adrift and I had a hard time coming up with the next chapter. But its posted: FINALLY.**

**I do plan on the next chapter coming sooner then this one did. So the wait shouldn't be as long.**

**Please remember to review! **

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**The Arrival.**

John Hale sighed, looking down at the directions Reverend Parris had given to him to the small house he was staying in. He expected him to make better and more comprehensible directions then the few scribbled notes that he had marked on a spare piece of worn paper.

"How many more miles up the hill do I have to travel?" he asked himself, annoyance carried heavily through his voice as his eyes traveled throughout little countryside. He noticed a few small houses here and there that he passed along the way, but as it was night out it was almost unintelligible to decipher which house was his.

Finally, after about an hour of searching, he reached his destination. It was a small, but cozy little house complete with a stable for the horses and a large pasture. He stepped out of the carriage, hugging himself against the crisp autumn night air and walking into the house.

He barely took a look at the house before he raced up the stairs, finding the nearest bedroom and collapsing on the bed. Exhausted, he clumsily removed his shoes and socks, and crawled under the covers. He wasn't going to bother unpacking or changing into night clothes; he was too tired for that, he'd do it in the morning.

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Hale woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and he cursed them silently. He wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to do that, considering he was a reverend, but he felt like cursing the damn creatures that dared to wake him up early.

He stretched, cracking the side of his neck and looked around the room. Now that it was morning and it was light out he could actually see what the house looked like.

Getting up from the bed, he stumbled his way to the bathroom and filled up the water basin. He splashed some cool water on his face, then dried it with a small towel. He grabbed a razor from his case and started shaving, intent on keeping his young face clean and stubble free. He dried his face again, and got out of the bathroom and changed into his clothes.

John walked down the stairs, preparing himself for the day. He took a slice of the pumpkin bread that Goody Putnam so kindly provided for him (he seriously doubted she baked it herself, as charming a lady she seems) and walked out the door. It was a nice, warm day and he walked over to the stable to check on his horses.

He picked the brown steed and placed a saddle on its back, climbing on to its back. He didn't feel that the carriage itself was completely necessary as he didn't have any of his belongings with him this time and traveling on horseback was faster.

The brown stallion galloped through the long, dirt road and Hale watched as the small farms that he passed seemed to grow larger as he got closer towards the town. He passed the man he remembered as Giles Corey from yesterday and waved to him and who he assumed was the man's wife politely.

"Good morning, Mr. Hale." the man said, "And where are you off to this morning."

Hale smiled, "I'm off to Mr. Parris's house to check on his daughter and the rest of the girls. Also, I believe that Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Sewer come today from Boston to meet with Judge Hawthorne and the rest of the members of the court with the girls."

His green eyes danced, "Well, I best be off then, Mr. Corey." and with that he rode off into the distance, his steed's hooves clapping majestically on the dirt road ahead.

---

Natalia and Buffy watched in awe as a whole bunch of men on horses surrounded this one little carriage was coming their way. The good part of the town had come to see the arrival of Judge Danforth and Judge Sewer. Women had worn their best dresses and men had shined their shoes, all getting ready and looking their best for when the visitors came to town. Natalia saw Reverend Hale out of the corner of her eye along side Reverend Parris and Judge Hawthorne.

"What do you think Judge Danforth and Sewer will sentence the witches?" Natalia asked, looking towards Buffy who was biting her cheek in nerves.

"Truthfully?" Buffy looked over, her blue eyes large in fear and awe at the carriage, "I wouldn't doubt that the noose be set soon."

Natalia gulped, wrapping her hands around her arms to warm the sudden chill. The carriage stopped, and two older gentlemen stepped out of the carriage. Natalia observed the two judges. The man who introduced himself as Judge Danforth had medium length white hair, and seemed to have an aura that demanded respect. Sewer, on the other hand, seemed quite soft spoken and less abrasive then Danforth.

Natalia laughed, again noticing poor John Hale's height comparison, this time to the extra ordinarily tall Judge Sewer and Judge Danforth. Buffy raised an questioning eyebrow, mouthing "what?".

"Look at Reverend John Hale's height difference between him and all the other men, its hilarious." she giggled, brown eyes dancing. Buffy smirked.

"Oh, of course. I should've guessed you were thinking about him," she said slyly, earning a glare, "I'm more surprised I'm not hearing you gushing about him and how _gorgeous_ he is."

Natalia blushed, then hit her friend playfully on the shoulder and "ssh"ed her. Buffy giggled, but quieted anyways.

She looked at Hale, and their eyes met for an instance. Her brown eyes connected with his green and she blushed, looking away quickly. Hale, however, continued to look at the girl curiously, before he was ushered in the house by Parris and the other judges.

Buffy giggled, "Well, at least you don't have to worry about him not being interested in you!" she laughed as Natalia's face turned pink again and her hand reached out to swat her.

---

"I assure you gentlemen, that the Devil shall not rule under one inch of New England. And indeed, if he has come here, in Salem, is where we will swat him out." Danforth stated, as the men of the congregation and the judges sat to dinner at Thomas Putnam's house. Hale nodded, slowly eating the meal that Goody Putnam and her servent girl Mercy Lewis had made for them.

"But let us be warned of the testimony of distracted persons," Judge Sewer started, "And of course, the mad."

The table grew silent, and Hale humorously noted that not many a men spoke out against Danforth. Danforth seemed to recover quickly, however, and gave a polite smile and nodded, "Indeed, Judge Sewer."

Everyone soon began eating again, and the mindless chatter continued through the table. Hale blankly listened to Parris, Putnam, and Hawthorne prattle on about the church and how not enough people attend reguarly. He normally would have contributed to a conversation such as that, but his mind seemed to rest on other things. Things he would normally find trivial and unimportant. He never really thought much about girls; sure, he would go on what his friends called dates with women, sometimes, but it never seemed to work out. He was always be busy reading his books and practicing his sermons and devil expelling. Hale was reguarly sent to towns to check on children and other persons who seemed bewitched; but he has never once got a serious case. Well, that is until arriving here in Salem. There was no way he could doubt that witchcraft was alfoat. Those poor girls.

His mind drifted once again to the girl that was watching him earlier. Natalia Paddock, he recalled, who claimed that she nor her friend that always seemed to be with her, Buffy, was it, were not apart of the witchcraft and had seen no witches. It seemed odd that they were unaffected by witches while the rest of the girls were. He doubted that they had anything to do with it. After all, they were children themselves. Well, now that he thought about children seemed like an unfair choice of word for the two ladies. Neither Natalia nor Buffy should be classified as mere children. Hale blushed, realizing what he had just thought and looked down at his plate, praying that neither Putnam nor Parris noticed that he wasn't paying attention and that he was blushing. Blushing for a mere sixteen year old girl, to make it worse!

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**So there it is; the sixth chapter in my very own Crucible fanfiction!**

**Remember to review! And post suggestions!**

**-Soldier of Passion**


	7. Oooh, Buffy, you'e in trouble now!

**Hey Readers!**

**I FINALLY updated! I know, I think the last time I updated was in early 09? Or even late 08? Holy Shit, that's been a long long time! But here is another update! And hopefully there is much more to come! I've finally decided how I think this story is going to go. I was stuck on it for a little while, but I think I'm good now. As I said, there isn't many Crucible fanfictions out there at all, and even less John Hale fanfictions! Which is really really NOT COOL! lol, So, like I said, I plan on making the best Crucible fanficiton story EVER! **

**Hahahha, anyways, here is the long awaited seventh chapter!**

And there's lots of Hale fluff too! SOoooo, Don't Worry, Be Happy!

**I do not own the Crucible in any way, shape, or form. It is all Arthur Miller's creative work.**

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**Chapter Seven.**

Sunday had arrived, and once again the residents of Salem Village had got on the Sunday gowns and bests to attend Church.

"Like every week," Natalia started, causing Buffy to roll her eyes, "We do the same exact thing every week, in every month, of every year. Too much structure! Where is the change!" she shouted, causing Buffy to giggle and quiet her. They weren't near anybody, walking a far distance from their home off near the country.

Buffy sighed, "Well, I know something that is different. Sarah Good is being trialed later today." she said, her tone reproachful, "That's something new."

Natalia scowled, "I meant something new and fun. Not depressing and practically medieval," she said, shaking her head, "Sometimes I just don't understand the people in this town. That's why once I'm eighteen, I'm leaving Salem."

Buffy laughed, "If that's possible."

Natalia blanched, "I'm getting out of this place as soon as possible." Buffy nodded in agreement.

They quieted as soon as the rest of the congregation came into the church and Reverend Parris stood to begin the morning's songs. Everybody picked up their books and started to sing. Natalia sang until she saw Abigail out of the corner of her eyes, talking in hushed voices to the other girls that were afflicted by witches. She narrowed her eyebrows in distrust, and nudged Buffy with her elbow.

"Ow." Buffy muttered quietly, glaring at her friend, "What did you do that for?"

"Look over there." she said, motioning her head towards the girls, "Don't you think with all that witchcraft that is burdened upon them that they would not be in healthy hearts to attend church?" she said skeptically.

The blonde girl shrugged, "Perhaps that is why there are at church. To get better."

"Hmmm." was all she responded. She was quickly brought out of her wondering, however, when Reverend John Hale from Beverly was called to say the day's sermon. She raised her eyebrows, wondering why Reverend Parris let him give the sermon.

Buffy looked at her friend's questioning gaze and shrugged, "Perhaps he just wanted to introduce himself formally to the town since he never really got a chance to due to the girls' illnesses."

She shrugged, listening to the young reverend preach about his works in other towns plagued with witchcraft, and how he hopes to help heal the afflicted girls in their small town of Salem. He talked about the innocence of the children, and how from such innocence the works of God are brought forth. She tried not to snort sarcastically; as if Abigail could be labeled as 'innocent'. Buffy looked at Natalia, hiding a small smile that dared to grace her lips when seeing the "I can't believe you actually believe this shit" look Natalia was giving towards John Hale.

After his sermon finished, the congregation sang one last psalm before getting up to leave the church. Apparently today was the first witch trial to be held in Salem for the possible arrest of Sarah Osbourne, who has continually denied to trafficking with the Devil. They heard that Sarah Good was going to be attending the trial as well, as a witness to the other woman's deals with the devil.

As the two girls headed towards their houses, a large horse drawn carriage pulled up beside them. They looked up to see the young face of Reverend John Hale smiling down at them. Natalia blushed while Buffy grinned from ear to ear.

"Good morning, Miss Barron. Miss Paddock." he said, tipping his hat a little out of respect, "I just on my way back home when I noticed that you two were walking home. And in this snow too!" he exclaimed, "So I thought I would offer you two a ride home since it is right on my way."

Natalia looked at Buffy, her mouth a little open by sheer shock of the situation. Buffy smirked, looking up at the reverend, "We would love to." she said. Natalia nodded dumbly, unable to say anything. The reverend smiled, delighted.

"Great." he said, reaching out his hand to pull the girls up. Once Buffy was seated and then Natalia seated right next to him, he grabbed the rein to start the horses.

"Wait." exclaimed Buffy, her blue eyes widening slightly. Natalia frowned, her dark eyebrows narrowing.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just remembered I told Martha Corey I would go with her to her house to help her out with some chores." she said, rather quickly, Natalia noted with distrustful eyes, and the blonde looked at the reverend, "I have to go and find her. I'm afraid I won't need a ride from you anymore, Mr. Hale." then she climbed out the carriage, "But you can still drive Natalia home!" she said quickly, "Goodbye Mr. Hale! Natalia!"

Reverend Hale nodded, waving a quick goodbye and pulling on the reins. Natalia sat there in complete shock, looking back over her shoulder to see Buffy smirking mischievously at her and winking. Natalia gasped, this was a set up! 'Oooh, Buffy, you're in trouble now!' she thought, annoyed at her friend for leaving her all alone in this awkward situation with a guy that she likes but barely knows.

Reverend Hale looked over at the younger girl, his green eyes written with confusion at the annoyed expression on her face. 'Perhaps it was because she wasn't asked to help out with the chores, either?' he thought to himself, then shrugged, realizing he would never really understand the extremely difficult complexities of the feminine mind.

"Is something the matter, Miss Paddock?" he asked. She looked over at him, and he noticed a pale pink blush forming on her rather pale face. Whether it was from the cold morning weather or that she was unwilling to tell him whatever was on her mind, he couldn't tell.

"No, nothing is wrong." she said softly, looking away softly. He frowned, knowing something was obviously bothering her. Hale knew this because he noted some of the things she did whenever she was uncomfortable. Whether it was the wringing of her hands like she did when he had found her without her bonnet on, or the chewing of her hair like she was doing now. He frowned, resisting the urge to take that once strand of dark hair out of mouth and pull it back behind her ears.

He contemplated whether or not he should say anything else. He didn't know which was worse: staying in this awkward silence or saying something to try and end the silence but could possibly end up making it more awkward.

He decided to be bold and try and converse with her.

"So…Are you attending the trial this night, Miss Paddock." he asked, then winced when he saw her facial expression darken slightly. John felt like hitting himself. 'Stupid stupid, me! I should've just gone with something normal like "so what are your hobbies?"' he scolded himself.

Natalia shrugged, "Yes, I will most likely be there." she said, "And it's Natalia."

"Hmm?" he asked, not really listening to what she said after the "yes". He was more focusing on the fact that he would have another chance to see her again. Even if it isn't under the greatest circumstances. "What was that?"

"Natalia." she repeated, a little louder this time, "My name is Natalia."

Hale frowned, "Yes, I know that."

"Then call me that instead of Miss Paddock." she replied, her dark brown eyes staring into his own green. Hale smiled brightly, quite glad that she would want to be on first name basis with him. Then he frowned, thinking about how inappropriate that would be if anyone would find out.

"Yes, Natalia." he said, liking the way her name sounded on his tongue. Apparently she did too because she smiled, "But only in secret. For it would not be appropriate if I were to call you by your first name at all times." he reminded her. She nodded, once again bringing to mind that she was, in fact, still younger then him.

They were silent for quite some time, "And you may call me John." he told her, looking down at the small form sitting next to him. She smiled, looking up at him with her large eyes.

"Then so be it, John." she said. He smiled, and then noticed that they were close to nearing her house. He stopped right outside her house, looking at the small farm house with the great mass of land in wonder.

"Do you live there all by yourself, Natalia?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. Natalia shook her head.

"No, no, of course not." she said, "I live here with my brother, Peter Paddock. Unfortunately at the moment he is with my aunt and uncle in Westford, helping them do some of the farm work that is greatly needed on their land."

"So you are all by alone in that large house?" he asked.

Natalia shrugged, "Well, I suppose so. But my neighbors have been taking turns watching out for me, making sure nothing happens. A couple nights a week they check in with me, making sure I have enough food or firewood for the time being." she said, "Buffy, I mean, Elizabeth, and her parents live right over there, and the Proctors and the Nurses live not too far away." she explained.

John nodded, "Well, good." he said, then looked at her one more time before grasping the reins, "Will you be needing a ride to the trial tonight?" he asked.

She shrugged, shaking her head, "No, it's okay. I'm sure I can get a ride with Rebecca Nurse and her husband. Besides, you should probably be there earlier just in case and I'll just be out of the way."

He smiled, "You wouldn't be out of the way, but that's fine. I will look forward to seeing you again, Natalia." he said, before tipping his hat again and muttering a small goodbye, pulling on the reins. As the carriage drove away, she let out a sigh of exhaustion, walking towards her house and then in her room. She found her bed and collapsed on it, grasping the blankets close to her body before sighing.

"Buffy, I swear to god." she muttered to herself, "You always have to make things even more awkward for me, don't you?"

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**And THAT was the seventh chapter! I know....not very long. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. I think it will....**

Remember to REVIEW! Us writers love reviews, it keeps us writing!

**Love,**

**Soldier of Passion**


	8. So the noose is set

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Hey Readers!

I actually updated really fast this time! No five month wait! And I expect the next chapter to be done soon as well considering I'm almost done with it! For some odd reason, I have really really been writing this fanfiction and am very exciting about how it will turn out! I hope you enjoy this quick update! Unfortunatley there isnt much Natalia & Johnny Hale interaction, but in the one after this, there are TONNSS! Soooo....oh well! lol. you'll just have to wait a little while longer. Hopefully not to much longer, but, whatever.

Anyways, Hope you like this chapter either way!

*Oh, and Ps. to a certain reader: I know....I suck at editing. Im not an editor. My grammer sucks. I know this. But I don't really care as much as I should. There might possibly be more grammer mistakes in this chapter....but...oh well. lol. (im not angry at you, btw, lol. i just wanted to let you know that I suck at grammer and that was the reason for all those grammatical mistakes. As for spelling mistakes or leaving out words...well thats just my plain carelessness, hahahaha. :D)

Enjoy This Chapter! Read and Review Please!

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Chapter Eight

She woke up to the sound of rapping on the door, and she snorted, brushing her hair out of face. She stretched, her eyes still closed, then opened them and looked out the window. Her eyes widened, realizing what time it must be. The trial would probably be starting very soon! She scrambled out of bed, smoothing her dark blue dress and grabbing a clean white bonnet before running down the stairs. She awkward opened the door while clumsily trying to put the bonnet on, revealing the kind face of Rebecca Nurse.

"Dear girl, what has happened?" she asked, "We knocked several times, and still there was yet to be an answer."

"Sorry. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it." she explained, smiling sheepishly. She looked behind the older woman to see a small carriage waiting for them with Mr. Nurse in the front. Rebecca Nurse smiled.

"Well, straighten yourself up." she said, quickly fixing the bonnet upon her head that was foolishly sideways. "I told you that you should not be walking home in this weather. You tire yourself too easily."

Natalia shook her head, "That is the thing, Rebecca. I did not walk home. I was offered a ride with Reverend Hale. I have no idea what could have made me tire so."

"Hmmm," Rebecca said to herself, as the two of them got into the carriage, "I do not know if I approve of you accepting rides from men. Especially men who are entirely new and foreign to you."

Natalia shrugged, looking away from Rebecca to out the window to conceal her blush, "No, no, it wasn't like that. He was on his way home, and he was trying to do me a favor instead of making me walk all that long way." she defended, "Besides, he's a minister. No harm of me will come from one of God's men."

Rebecca, although not entirely convinced, nodded and remained silent about that conversation. They neared the courthouse and walked inside, surprised to see so many of the town's citizens have come to witness the trial. Natalia almost felt bad for Goody Osbourne; it would be entirely embarrassing to be trialed for a witch in front of so many people.

They found seats next to the Coreys, and the five of them sat silently, feeling the apprehension of what was about to take place. Natalia scowled as Buffy came to walk towards her, her mouth grinning impishly. She sat down next her, trying to ignore the dark looks her best friend was giving her.

"So, how did the chores go with the Coreys?" she asked, fully aware that her friend was lying and did not help out Martha in any ways with chores. Buffy grinned.

"Don't be mad at me, Natalia. You should be thanking me." she replied, "Besides, who knows if Reverend Hale would be looking at you the way he is now if I didn't let you guys have some alone time." she giggled. Natalia frowned, then looked all over for the reverend she was speaking of. Buffy laughed again, before pointing towards the minister who was, indeed, staring at her. Natalia blushed, and, realizing that he was caught staring, John quickly looked away. They giggled softly.

Martha Corey looked at them, frowning, "What is so funny to you two? This is not the time to be laughing." she scolded. The girls nodded their heads, hiding their smiles behind their hands.

All of a sudden the side doors of the courthouse opened, and it revealed two rather ragged old ladies, Goody Osbourne, who was on trial, and Goody Good, who came as a witness to the other woman's witchery. First, Goody Osbourne went on and on about how the Devil came to her with Sarah Osbourne and several other witches.

"And then the devil asked her to write in his book. With her own red blood!" Sarah Good exclaimed, causing the room to be in such a state of brouhaha that Judge Danforth had to bang his gavel and quiet them several times. Natalia's eyes widened slightly at the thought of it, and shuddered.

"Judge, I've never seen the devil in my life." Sarah Osbourne exclaimed, running up towards Danforth and the other judges in plea, "But I can dance, as fast backwards as I could to catch me!"

"You stop these stories! You bring me harm! You bring me to harm!" she said, walking towards the accusing girls angrily. In response, the girls started to shiver violently.

"Stop hurting me Goody Osbourne!" Abigail shuttered, then looked up at the judges desperately, "Help me Judge Danforth!" she called. The judges looked striken.

"What is it that you were muttering to make these girls so sick." Hawthorne snidely asked. It was clear that he already decided she was a witch and there was no way she would get free.

"Why, I was only saying my commandments. I hope that I'm allowed to say my commandments." she defended.

"Pray, let her say her commandments." Judge Sewer said.

"You're crazy! I may only say my commandments after dark." she said.

"There are ten commandments, do you know any?" Judge Danforth asked, skeptical of the woman's defense. The woman remained silent, which only further angered the old judge. "You have lied to the court." he said, believing her silence to be a confession, "I say you have lied to the court."

"I am innocent to a witch, the devil knows that!" she cried out, as she was taking away by two large guards. The whole room once again went up in commotion. A witch has been truly sentenced in Salem. It was only a matter of time before more were found guilty.

The next few days were a bit of a blur for Natalia. She didn't understand how this could happen. In Salem. Her town, one of the most holy and self-righteous towns in all of Massachusetts. How could evil come to such a good place? Why would God let this happen? And then more and more witches were trialed, old and young, male and female, poor and rich. Mary Sibber was accused, and she replied that her accuser's goats were eating her food. Several others replied similarly, causing giant commotions in the court rooms. George Jacobs, one of the kindest, oldest men in the town, was trialed too. That was the first night she cried for one of the accused.

"Now, Ruth Putnam, when did you last see Mr. Jacobs?" Danforth asked, looking at the tiny girl. She gulped.

"He come to me two night past, when I went to bed." she told him.

"But Ruth, you must be mistaken. You know me…I'm your neighbor, Mr. Jacobs? I own 600 acres next to theirs. She has known me all her life." he told the judge

"And he come to me through my window and he pressed down upon me, and I could not take breath. And he said… Ruth Putnam I will kill you if you testify against me in court." she said in a quivering voice, her blue eyes widening and lips trembling. Judge Danforth looked at the shaking red haired child, and then back up at the older man, anger in his eyes.

"What say you to this charge, Mr. Jacobs?" he asked.

"Judge, I must use these walking sticks to walk with." he tried to explain, "How may I go through her window?"

"But you could have sent out your spirit, could you not?" Judge Hawthorne retorted, and the old man just looked up helplessly.

"But how could my spirit leave my body? I have no knowledge of…"

Ruth Putnam walked towards Judge Danforth, her face painfully stricken as she whispered in his ear so that no one else could hear her. He nodded down at her, before looking back up at George Jacobs sternly.

"Ruth Putnam has informed that there is a black man whispering in your ear." he exclaimed, causing the room to gasp. George Jacobs, obviously confused, looked left and right, as if trying to find said black man.

Then all the girls who had confessed to seeing witches stood up, their eyes wide and fearful as they pointed at George Jacobs, "I see him! I see him! The Black Man!" they exclaimed. Then, as if a giant gust of wind came about them, they fainted, falling straight down on the floor in a massive heap.

All of a sudden the silence in the room was broken by a loud laugh, echoing throughout the courtroom. They all looked over to find Martha Corey laughing at the girls on the floor.

"How dare you mock them, Martha Corey!" Herrick called.

"What else are fools good for?" she asked, then walked out of the room. Natalia and Buffy looked at her retreating figure and raised their eyebrows in awe. They had no idea what to do. Whether to join her or stay in the court's favor.

As if to answer them, Rebecca Nurse and Francis Nurse stood up, walking towards Mr. Jacobs sadly. The older woman put her hand on the man's shoulder, looking at him sadly, before walking out the court with Francis. An uproar commenced, and Natalia and Buffy quickly followed Rebecca and Francis out the courtroom. Natalia looked back to see Hale looking at her in confusion, and she bit her lip, frustrated. She shook her head, following Buffy out the doors.

Outside the courthouse, the two girls walked away silently towards their houses. The air seemed to have chilled, only to further damper their sad moods. However, every step further from the courthouse seemed to make them feel less miserable, as if the sun was slowly coming towards them to relieve them from their grief.

"What do you think will happen to him." Buffy said, breaking the silence. Natalia sighed.

"He will most likely hang." she said, her voice lacking emotion.

Buffy looked up at the sky in wonder, "So the noose is set."

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**And That was Chapter Eight! Horray! **

**Hope you liked it! Love y'all!**

**-Soldier of Passion**


	9. The Devil's Refuge

**Helloooo Readers!**

**I have finally managed to finished Chapter Nine of Burning Kiss and I think it turned out great! I must admit that I was inspired a couple days ago when I got a review saying that I was the hero of all Crucible lovers and stuff. It made me proud. So i just HAD to update my chapter! And I think this is a great damn good chapter, if you ask me!!!**

Enjoy it! Oh, and btw, I do not own Arthur Miller's The Crucible in any way, shape, or form. In fact, this is the second or third chapters in which I dont use anything from the book or movie at all. Just the characters and my imagination ^^.  


**Remember to Review! **

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**The Devil's Refuge.  
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She gasped, her eyebrows starting to sweat and she continued to move her hands up and down. Natalia used all her energy for this one task, and she could already feel the pain in her fingers. Up and down, up and down, her hands moved skillfully. She licked her lips in concentration, and went faster. She sighed, finally stopping and went to taste the finished product.

"How's the churned butter going, Natalia?" Buffy asked, walking outside from the house to see her friend at the butter churn. Natalia growled, and sat down in frustration.

"Still milky." she replied, then leaned back against the small chair, "Can you do the rest of this, Buffy? I'm starting to grow tired." she looked at her hands, "And my hands are starting to blister.

"Of course." Buffy said, taking her spot next to the churner. She sighed, settling down, "By the way, when is your brother returning home from Westford?" she asked. Natalia shrugged, washing her hands in the nearest basin.

"I know not. He told me he would return before the month over." she said, "I assume he will be back in a week or so. Why do you ask?"

Buffy shrugged, "Just wondering. My father needed some help with the farm and was asking about him." she told her. Natalia laughed.

"Why is it whenever someone needs work done they always go to Peter first?" she wondered out loud. Buffy snorted.

"Perhaps it is the fact that your brother is the size and has the strength of about three men put together?" she pondered, placing her finger to her chin as if contemplating. Natalia rolled her eyes.

"He has not the strength of that many men." she said, then sighed, before looking at her friend, "I am going into town. I need to see if Susanna Walcott is done with the scarf I asked her to make for me." she said, "They have some of the most interesting shades of colors that I've seen. I do not know how it is done." she told her, walking out into the cool fresh air.

She sighed, debating on whether or not she should just walk into the village or ride her horse. Though she highly doubted many would think it proper of her, she did not feel up to walking such a great distance. Natalia shrugged, strolling towards the stables and putting a saddle on her own white horse. She mounted the white steed, kicked her legs, and the brilliant horse galloped towards town.

As soon as she reached town she rode towards the Walcott house, hoping to see if anyone was home. Unfortunately, their next door neighbor Goody Calef had informed her that they went out of town to Boston and wouldn't be back for a couple days. She growled slightly; Susanna has promised that she would be done and give her the scarf this weekend.

"Of course they are." she muttered to herself. She sighed, looking around for something to do. She was in town, she might as well find something to do instead of just returning back home and killing her hand again trying to churn butter.

Unfortunately for her, God had decided he wanted her to be even more flustered and unnerved today then she already was, so of course, Reverend Hale had to just suddenly walk out the doors of the church the same time as she was passing by.

"Oh, hello there Miss Paddock." he greeted with a smile, waving goodbye to some man that she didn't recognize and walking towards her.

"Hello." she said, then looked towards the man, "Who is that?"

Hale looked back at the man, "Him? That is not but an old friend from Beverly who came to visit me during my stay in Salem." Natalia frowned.

"Oh. Then by all means, keep his company, not mine." she said, "You should not leave your friend on my part…"

He shook his head, "It is quite alright, Natalia. He wanted to go talk to Reverend Parris, anyways." he explained, then held out his arm, "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a walk?" he asked.

She flinched, blushing, before staring at his arm in contemplation. She really shouldn't, but—

"Of course." she replied, smiling and linking her arm with his. She felt a bit guilty about disobeying Rebecca Nurse and continuing this…whatever it is with the minister, but, oh well. What Goody Nurse doesn't know can't hurt her.

They walked together for a while, not saying anything as they wandered about the village, feeling the wind and cold air scatter their hair around. Slowly, they made their way towards the green forests, listening as leaves and twigs broke under their feet. Natalia sighed dreamily, glancing up at the bright blue sky and finally feeling at peace in the warm, secluded forest. Here, she felt very safe with John, away from the horrors of the Salem Witch Trials and in their own safe little world. She often wondered why the adults thought the forest to be the refuge of the devil and evil. She actually found it quite peaceful and heavenly.

She looked over at Hale, who seemed to have been as eased and free in the forest as she was. He too had a slight smile on his face and the concerns on the lines of his face that she had seen so often when he was confused or upset seemed to have vanished. He looked so young, she thought, and so handsome. His usual black hat was off and his brown hair was blowing carelessly in the slight wind.

After finding a nice spot, she unlinked her arms with Hale and climbed on top of a large boulder, laying down on it so her face was staring up at the sky. Hale slowly made his way over to her, taking his coat off and setting on the grass. He sat next to her laying form on the rock and stared up at the sky with her."Sarah Bishop is being trialed today under the suspicions of witchcraft." Natalia stated coldly, her eyes staring blankly at the sky. Although she did not enjoy discussing the trials, she felt she had to. Hale was an important member— if she could just get him to understand…

Hale looked over at her, his voice unnervingly hollow "I know."

Natalia frowned, her eyebrows narrowing as her teeth clenched slightly, raising slightly from her position on the rock "You know?! Is that all you can say, 'I know.'?! Have you no feeling of remorse or guilt about it?" she asked, her voice slightly rising. She silently scolded herself for raising her voice, as he was man and she was a woman, but she felt she had to. He needed to know of her concern.

Hale sighed, "The children are being afflicted by unseen forces, Natalia. We cannot let them continue to suffer—"

Natalia growled slightly in frustration, biting down on her lip, "And let the rest of the town suffer from them? How do you know that they are even seeing witches?" she accused. He sprang up then, backing slowly away from her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked slowly, his eyes studying her. Natalia sighed.

"John, please do not be upset. Please, think reasonably. There is no real proof that they have been afflicted by witches, and—"

"No proof? I have seen and studied the girls myself, and all of them looked as if they had seen into the eye of the Devil himself! How can you say there is no proof?"

"Perhaps they are just great pretenders." she replied, "So they faint. They cry out that they can see something that others cannot. Well, anybody can do that. I can. Pretending is not so difficult when you have friends that will join along with you."

John sighed, looking to the ground as if contemplating, "The women confessed to it, Natalia, they confessed it! How do you explain that?"

"Why shouldn't they confess it when they hang for denying it? Many people in this world would rather save their own skin instead of telling the truth." she responded.

They fell into a short silence again, and Natalia could tell that John was letting it all sink in. He looked so unsure, so upset.

"Everything I have ever believed in is lying in the hands of these trials, Natalia." he told her, "Why would the girls deceive so many? They are only children—"

"Well their leader isn't." Natalia cut in boldly, "Abigail may be seventeen, still but an innocent in the eyes of many, but she would not be unwilling to do whatever it takes in order to get her way."

"And why would Abigail want to bring harm to innocent people?" he asked.

Natalia sighed, "I do not know this for certain, so I feel uneasy sharing this information with you. But I believe that Abigail was dismissed from Goody Proctor's services for reasons other then laziness."

John frowned, "What do you mean?"

Natalia bit her lip, "Well…it is just that there are rumors—"

"Yes?"

"Of—well, of something immoral happening between Abigail and John Proctor."

He fell silent once again. Then sighed, looking around before grabbing his coat that was laying towards the grass. Natalia sighed, walking towards him and pressing lightly on his arm. He stopped, turning around and looking down at her small form that was staring so sadly back up at him. Her dark hair that was free from its usual bonnet lay in long waves around her shoulders, small bits of leaves in its perfection. Absentmindedly, he stretched out his hand and took the leaves out, staring at her the whole time. She smiled slightly, though he found her dark eyes still staring woefully. He almost flinched at their intensity.

"I'm so sorry if I am bringing you any grief or doubts, John. That is not what I wish for." she said.

Slowly, she went on her tip-toes and kissed him slightly on the cheek. As she went to leave, he grabbed her arm, not forcefully, but gently, and brought her closer to him. She stared up at him widely as he closed the distance between the two of them, his lips becoming closer with every passing second and she could feel his breath on the crevice of her lips. And then they met, and she felt perfection for the first time on her virgin lips. They lingered for a couple minutes, kissing shyly, slowly becoming used to each other's mouths. His hand somehow found its way up her collarbone and into her hair. All her senses seemed to focus on him, and she could barely make out anything around her. All she could taste, see, touch, and smell was Hale.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he backed away quickly, staring at her in shock. He clumsily stumbled backwards, his green eyes wide with wonder, longing, and shame at the same time.

"I—I'm sorry, I—"

She shook her head, walking towards him, "No, John, don't be—"

He looked around, seemingly confused and agitated, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. I—""It's okay! John, don't go." she pleaded. Her stomach, which before was filled with nothing but dancing butterflies, twisted in a knot. She didn't want him to go away…

John looked even more confused, and gulped, "I'm sorry, Miss Paddock," her insides sank, "but I have to go." he told her, then stumbled his way out of the forest.

The watched him go, her insides bursting with both pleasure and sorrow. Would she ever be kissed like that again? And would it be from him? She longed for him to return to her suddenly and swoop her in his arms, hold her and once again kiss her. She sighed, leaning against the closest tree and closed her eyes. She sinned, but it was worth it.

Yes, the forest is definitely the Devil's refuge, she thought.

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Did you like it!?! Well, I liked writing it, lol.

Any comments? Questions? Concerns? Let me know! ^^

Love you all my faithful readers!

- Soldier of Passion (Theresa)


	10. Theology, sir, is a fortress

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HEYYY READERS!**

Okay, so FINALLY the tenth chapter of Burning Kiss is posted! And I'm really happy because I am pretty sure its the longest chapter in alllll of this fanfiction. It is mostly Johnny's POV though. Its basically from the scene when Hale goes to the Proctors and interrogates them. And he thinks about Natalia, of course. lol.

Anyways, I would like to say I really really thank all of my readers and reviewers who kept me going. I couldn't have done it without you. Your support really made me inspired.

I hope you like this chapter

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**Theology, sir, is a fortress.**

Hale gulped, his green eyes looking behind him in hope that he might avoid the confrontation that was to occur. The night was cold and he could see his breath blow in the air. His stomach turned with the information that was just revealed to him, and he was reconsidering the meeting. John shook his head, carrying on bravely towards the home that was about to be broken because of the day's events…no, because of him.

He sees Proctor outside at his work, who looks up as his horses come closer towards the house. He gets off the tall brown horse, stroking it softly as he walks over to the other man. Proctor looks at him confused, gets up from his work as the door opens and reveals a woman. Hale winced, his eyes teaming with guilt as he looked at who he supposed was Proctor's wife.

He calmed himself, collecting his thoughts, "Good evening." he managed to choke out, quite surprised that he was able to say anything at all.

Proctor, whose face was still quite shocked, smiles unsurely, "Why, Mr. Hale! Good evening to you sir". Hale winced, '_please, don't be kind to me. I'm about to ruin your life._' he thought.

Hale looked at Elizabeth. She was a pretty woman, although her face seemed aged and her youth forgotten. She had light features, golden wisps of blonde hair falling out her bonnet and blue eyes that seemed stressed. He wanted to scream; this was Natalia's friend! He was going to ruin her friend. He cleared his throat, "I hope I do not startle you." he looked down at his feet, "You are Goodwife Proctor."

She nodded, "Aye, Elizabeth."

Hale nods, taking another breath to calm himself and looked at her once more, "I hope you're not off to bed yet."

Proctor shakes his head, his eyes slightly nervous, "No no." he looked towards Hale, his smile never faltering with his nerves, "We are not used to visitors after dark, but you're welcome here. Will you come in?"

Hale nods and they lead him into the house, and he looks about the room, trying to calm his own nerves. Proctor looks towards him, "Will you sit you down, sir?" he asked.

Hale nods, "I will." he sits, looking towards Elizabeth who seemed oddly calm in the presence of two very nervous men, "Let you sit, Goodwife Proctor." She sat down, staring at his intently with her compressed blue eyes.

Proctor, hating long silences, breaks the silence, "Will you drink cider, Mr. Hale?"

Hale winced. What was it with people in Salem offering him cider? First Ann Putnam, now them. He really hated cider; he never had to deal with the vile drink in Beverly. He shook his head, smiling politely.

"No, it rebels my stomach; I have some further traveling yet tonight. Sit you down, sir." he lied, watching Proctor descend slowly into the chair across from him. "I will not keep you long, but I have some business with you." he winced; he really wanted to come off less cold hearted then that.

Proctor's expression fell, and his smile wavered as his eyes flickered towards his wife, "Business of the court?"

John Hale looked at his hands, folding them as he looked in the other man's eyes, "No—no, I come of my own, without the court's authority. Here me," he licked his lips, growing more nervous by the second, "I know not if you are aware, but your wife's name is—mentioned in the court."

Proctor nodded, "We know it, sir. Our Mary Warren told us. We are entirely amazed."

Hale nods, his eyes searching Proctor's in search of any guilt or lie the man might be concealing, "I am a stranger here, as you know." _not really, you damn liar,_ "And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw clear opinion of them that come accused before the court. And so this afternoon, and now tonight, I go from house to house—I come now from Rebecca Nurse's house and—"

Elizabeth looked up, her face shocked, "Rebecca's charged!" Hale flinched.

"God forbid such a one be charged. She is, however—mentioned somewhat."

Elizabeth looked positively scandalized, and she made an attempt at a sarcastic laugh, 'You will never believe, I hope, that Rebecca trafficked with the Devil."

Hale almost wanted to scream in agreement, but remembered his practice, his teachings, and calmed himself, thinking the idea through carefully, "Woman, it is possible."

Proctor looked at him, taken aback, "Surely you cannot think so."

Hale looked in his eyes, "This is a strange time, Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon the village. There is too much evidence now to deny it. You will agree, sir?"

Proctor looks around, evading the sudden intense eye contact, "I—have no knowledge in that line. But it's hard to think so pious a woman be secretly a Devil's bitch after seventy tear of such good prayer."

Hale nodded, "Aye. But the Devil is a wily one, you cannot deny it. However she is far from accused, and I know she will not be." he pauses, struggling to get to the point of his visit here without raising the other man's anger, "I thought, sir, to put some questions as to the Christian character of this house, if you'll permit me."

Proctor glared at him, and Hale shuffled a little under the hard stare, "Why, we have no fear of questioning sir." he said. Hale tried to pretend he hadn't heard the resentful tone in the other man's voice. He nodded, then made himself a bit more comfortable in the chair.

"Good," he said, looking at his hands, "Now, in the book of record that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church come Sabbath Day." he looked at Proctor who was about to retaliate, "Twenty six time in seventeen month, sir, I must call rare. Why, sir, is it you are so absent?"

Proctor looked down, "Mr. Hale, my wife were sick this winter."

"So I am told. But you, Mister, why could you not come alone?" Hale asked.

Proctor sighed, looking slightly annoyed, "I surely did come when I could, and when I could not I prayed in this house."

Hale bit his lip, "Mr. Proctor, your house is not a church," he slightly winced at the harsh and rather mean comment, "Your theology must tell you that."

Proctor scoffed, "It does, sir, it does; and it tells me that a minister may pray to God without he have golden candlesticks upon the alter."

Hale raised a thin brown eyebrow, "What golden candlesticks?"

Proctor had a slightly annoyed expression on his face, but Hale knew it wasn't directed at him, "Since we built the church there were pewter candlesticks upon the alter. Parris came and for twenty week he preach nothing but golden candlesticks until he got them. I tell you sir, when I look to heaven and see my money glaring at my elbows—it hurt my prayer, sir, it hurt my prayer."

Hale nodded, remembering how his old friend was quite a…err, well…he just often talked about money a lot in their conversations. Truthfully, John wasn't very surprised to hear this; he was actually more surprised Parris opted for golden candlesticks and not some diamond or jewel encrusted candlesticks. He smirked to himself.

He looked towards Proctor once again, "Tell me, sir—you have three children?"

"Aye. Boys."

"How comes it that only two are baptized?" Hale asked, remembering reading that Proctor's youngest had not been baptized yet. And already three years old, too.

Proctor wet his lips, as if deliberating whether or not to say this or how he should put it, "I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I'll not conceal it."

"Proctor, the man is ordained, sir, therefore the light of God is in him." he reminded. He sighed.

"Perhaps we are being to hard on Reverend Parris." Elizabeth spoke up, trying to stop the bickering of the two men, "But sure we've never loved Satan here."

John Hale looked at her for a while, contemplating what he should do next. He leaned back against the chair, looking up at her with his green eyes, "Do you know your commandments, Elizabeth?"

"Aye sir, I do." she responded, "I am a covenanted woman, sir. There be no mark upon my Christian life."

"And you sir?" he asked, shifting his attention from the woman to the man, "Do you know your commandments, Mr. Proctor?"

John Proctor hesitated for a moment, before nodding slowly, "Aye, sir. I'm sure I do."

"Would you recite them please." he asked.

"The Commandments?"

"Aye."

John Proctor closed his eyes, as if trying to clear his mind and focus on nothing but the task at hand, and nodded slowly, bringing himself to remember, "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods, nor covet thy neighbors wives, thou shalt have no other Gods before me, thou shalt not use the Lord's name in vain, thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath day, thou shalt honor thy mother and father, thou shalt not bare to false witness... thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wives."

Reverend Hale shook his head, "You've said that one twice, sir."

"Aye." John responded, then racked his brain to see if he could remember the last one. He sighed in defeat.

"Adultery, John." Elizabeth spoke up. John seemed unusually shaken by that response. Hale frowned, remembering slightly what Natalia told him the other day.

"Aye. You see sir, between the two of us, we do know them all. It seems but a small fault."

Hale sighed, "Theology, sir, is a fortress. No crack in a fortress may be accounted small." he sighed, then looked at the two who were staring back at him in silence, "I bid you both goodnight." he said, standing up and excusing himself from the house.

As he took one step outside into the cool night air he suddenly felt guilty, and the air seemed to become heavy upon his chest. Perhaps he was too suspicious of them…perhaps he should not have integrated them too much. Natalia had informed him that they were her long time friends and that she trusted them. She seemed bewildered and quite cross with him when he told her that they were accused. He could only imagine what she would think of him if he had told her that he also were to visit Rebecca Nurse. He can only think of what she must think of him after that kiss. Oh, she must think him vile! He sighed, reaching his carriage and began to step inside it when he heard a voice.

"Mr. Hale!" Elizabeth Proctor called, and he looked over to see her looking at him before glancing back at her husband. He slowly got off the carriage, but did not move a step closer.

"Mr. Hale." John Proctor repeated, stepping out before his wife. He looked to the ground, as if struggling, "I…I have no witness and cannot prove…it except my word be taken. But I know the children's sickness had naught to do with witchcraft." he told him.

Hale's eyes widened, and he looked over at him, walking towards them, "Naught to do with witchcraft?"

Proctor nodded, "Mr. Parris discovered them sportin' in the woods. They were startled and took sick."

Hale shook his head, as if attempting to clear his mind, "Who told you this?"

Proctor hesitated, "Abigail Williams."

"Abigail!", "Aye."

His eyes widened even further, "Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft!?" he exclaimed. He couldn't believe it. Everything Natalia told him, all her suspicions about Abigail…could it be possible?

"She told me the day you came, sir." he told him. Hale frowned.

"Why did you keep this?" he asked, a bit suspiciously. Even with Natalia's warning, it was still questionable that Proctor would keep this from the court for so very long. Why had he not come out with this sooner!?

Proctor snorted, "I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense." he explained.

Hale growled in frustration, "Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that have confessed to dealing with the Devil!" he said, before growling again, "The have confessed it!" déjà vu, he thought.

"And why not, if they must hang for denying it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; have you never thought of that?" he asked.

Hale sighed, looking at the moon. He couldn't help but think of Natalia when he looked at the moon. Like her, it seemed so far away, yet so close, as if tempting him to draw nearer and nearer with each passing second. He remembered all that she told him, all of her suspicions, and now they have become his as well.

"I have. I—I have indeed." he said, then glanced at Elizabeth, and then at the other man, "And you—would you testify to this in court?" he asked.

He shrugged, "I had not reckoned with going into court. But if I must I will."

Hale frowned, "Do you falter here?""I falter nothing, but I may wonder if my story will be credited in such a court. I do wonder on it, when such a steady minded minister as you will suspicion such a woman that never lied, and cannot, and the world knows she cannot! I may falter somewhat, Mister; I am no fool." Proctor snapped.

Hale sighed, thinking. He needed more information then that to have a clear judgment on the matter at hand. Proctor and Natalia are but two people, and both very opposed to the whole court in general. Perhaps their hate, and Natalia's obvious hate of both Abigail and the Putnams, is muddling their good judgment? "Proctor, let you open with ... me now, for I have a rumor that troubles me. It's said you hold no belief that there may even be witches in the world. Is that true, sir?" he asked. This would surely prove that his judgment is clouded. Even Natalia believes that there are witches.

Proctor hesitated, "I know not what I have said, I may have said it. I have wondered if there be witches in the world-although I cannot believe they come among us now."

Hale frowned, "Then you do not believe–"

"I have no knowledge of it; the Bible speaks of witches, and I will not deny them." Proctor replied hastily.

Hale looked towards Elizabeth, "And you, woman?"" I-I cannot believe it." Elizabeth said. Hale gasped. "You cannot!"

"Elizabeth, you bewilder him!" Proctor scolded her.

"I cannot think the Devil may own a woman's soul, Mr. Hale, when she keeps an upright way, as I have. I am a good woman, I know it; and if you believe I may do only good work in the world, and yet be secretly bound to Satan, then I must tell you, sir, I do not believe it." she replied. He couldn't help but think of Natalia. He knew that is something she would say if she was condemned.

"But, woman, you do believe there are witches in-""If you think that I am one, then I say there are none." she snapped. "You surely do not fly against the Gospel!" he exclaimed.

Elizabeth growled in frustration, "Question Abigail Williams about the Gospel, not myself!" she replied. Hale raised his eyebrows but sighed, looking back towards his house and figuring it was a lost cause. He could not save them if they didn't hold true to the gospels.

"God keep you both; let the third child be quickly baptized, and go you without fail each Sunday in to Sabbath prayer; and keep a solemn, quiet way among you." he told them, prepared to leave them to their thoughts. All of a sudden a large carriage comes towards them, and Hale gasped. Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey were chained, and their husbands and Natalia were hurrying alongside the carriage, distraught. His heart practically burst at Natalia's tearstained face and he realized: Love is a fortress, and he can't let Natalia's heart break.

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**And THAT is the end to Chapter 10! Hope you all enjoyed it!**

Remeber to review!

Thanks!

-Soldier of Passion (Theresa)


	11. Poppets

**Heyyy Readers!**

Finally I posed chapter eleven! I think its eh. okay. But I wanted to update soon. Cause I just love you all so much! :D

**Once again, I thank all of you who have supported me throughout this fanfiction. I am proud of what I've accomplished and I really appreciate the support. **

**And, Once again, I do not own the Crucible. It is all Arthur Miller's. **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! Read and Review!~**

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**Poppets.**

Natalia ran along Francis Nurse and Giles Corey, hurrying along to the Proctor house along side the carriage that held Rebecca and Martha captive. She knew her face was probably drenched with tears but she didn't care. She looked towards the carriage up at Martha and Rebecca, who had told her earlier to go away. As if she would do that, she thought.

As they approached the house, she stopped short at the sight of John Hale's carriage. She cursed, fixing her hair and wiping the tears before he could see her in such a mess and then caught up to the others. She looked over at Hale, who she hadn't seen since their kiss in the forest, who was looking at her with sad eyes. She smiled at him, and he looked away. Natalia frowned. It was going to be awkward, it seems.

"John, they took Martha! And his Rebecca!" Giles cried, pain evident in his old face.

"On what charge?!" Hale asked, shocked.

"For the supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies!" Francis replied exasperated.

Proctor looked at Hale skeptically, "Now do you believe this, Mr. Hale, Rebecca Nurse murdering babies?!"

"Remember, two hours before Devil had fallen God thought him beautiful in Heaven." he replied.

"Are you comparing Rebecca Nurse to the Devil?!" Natalia hissed.

Hale looked over at her, slightly put off, and shook his head."No, no. I didn't mean it like that—" he started.

Suddenly the carriage finally caught up to them, and they looked up at the several women who were accused. Giles walked over, looking up at his wife."Everything will be okay, Martha, we'll get you out of this." he told her. "Pity Cheever, not us. He's the one that will be going to hell." she told them. Ezekiel Cheever then walked out before them, ignoring Martha and going towards Proctor."Good evening, Proctor," he said, then looked around, "All. I have a warrant for your wife." he bluntly stated.

"I know nothing of this," Hale told Proctor, who was glaring at him in contempt, "Who charged her?"

"Why, Abigail Williams charged her." Cheever told him.

"For what crime?! And what proof?!" Proctor exclaimed.

Cheever sighed, "I like not to search another man's house…but by law I must enter."

Proctor sneered at him, but stepped aside, allowing him and the others to enter his house. Natalia entered behind Elizabeth, keeping a distance between herself and Hale. She didn't really feel quite comfortable since their little episode in the forest. She had a feeling that he was still shaken and upset with himself after their kiss. Although, she had to admit, she wanted nothing more then him to embrace her and let her cry in his arms.

"Please give me any poppets that your wife may have." Cheever said, taking his hat off and walking around the room. Natalia sneered at the man. It was as if he thought he owned the place.

"I have kept no poppets since I was a girl." she replied, somewhat snidely. Albeit, Natalia had to admit he rather deserved it. Cheever looked around until he caught a small poppet on the desk across the room."Oh." Elizabeth murmured, "That belongs to Mary."

"Mary come down here!" Proctor called. Cheever took the door, examining it. He lifted the dress of the doll, taking out a small needle from the belly."I had my doubts, Proctor. But this is calamity." Cheever announced, then looked toward Hale, "You see it, sir, it is a needle."

Hale frowned, a crease muddling his young face, "Why, what signifies a needle?"

"The Williams girl, Abigail. She come home with a needle stuck three inches into her belly, and she testified that her familiar spirit pushed it in!" he exclaimed. All of a sudden, Mary came bounding down the stairs towards Mr. Proctor, "What is it sir?" she asked politely. Natalia never really liked Mary. Too mild mannered for her own tastes. Though she preferred her over the entirely opposite Abigail any day."Tell us how this poppet came into this house!" he demanded. Mary's eyes widened, shook. "What poppet?" she asked.

Proctor rolled his eyes, "What poppet. This poppet!" he said, thrusting the doll into her arms."Why I made that and gave it to Goody Proctor yesterday." she replied.

"Mary, a needle has been discovered in that poppet." Hale spoke up, walking towards her."Oh, I never meant no harm by it, sir."

"So you have placed it there yourself?" Proctor asked. "For safe keeping!" she exclaimed, "I must have forgotten to take it out."

"Are you sure this be a natural memory? That you aren't possessed by some unnatural spirit? " Hale asked.

"No, sir, I am entirely myself." she replied, "Let you ask Abby! She was there when I made it."

"That girl is a menace, she must be ripped out of the world!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Natalia's eyebrows widened in shock. Sure, she hated Abigail as much as the next person, and she had to agree with Elizabeth on that one, but she didn't think it was wise for her to say that when she is being testified for harming said girl.

"Did you hear that, Herrick? Ripped out of the world!" Cheever cried, looking towards his large companion.

"Leave my house!" Proctor yelled, his face turning red with rage and anger, "And you with them! You are a broken minister!" he pointed at Hale.

The younger man walked towards him, pleading."Proctor, I swear, if she is innocent, the court—" Hale started.

"If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers?!" Proctor yelled, "I'll tell you what's walking Salem-vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!"

The whole room grew silent after that giant speech, and Proctor was glaring murderously at Hale. Hale eyes glanced briefly at Natalia, who shrugged at him, and looked away. Then, as if to melt their hearts even further, the two Proctor boys came quietly downstairs, their dark eyes wide and fearful. Elizabeth sighed, walking to her small boys and embracing them for one final time."I fear I must go, John." she said, hugging her boys and whispering soft comforts in their ears. "Mary, there will be bread to bake in the morning." she instructed the young girl, who sniffled and nodded.

"I will get you home soon, Elizabeth." Proctor said quietly, staring at his wife as in a daze, "I will fall like an ocean on the court!"

"Please do get me home, John." she said, giving her boys one last kiss, before getting up and walking bravely towards the door, "I will fear nothing."

Natalia had nothing but the greatest respect for Elizabeth Proctor. She walked bravely to her doom, without so much as a flinch or worry. Cheever then had Herrick chain her up, much to her husband's despise, and Natalia watched three of her good friends head off into the distance. It was too much for her to of a sudden she was running. Where to, she had no idea. The night had turned dark and the only source of light she had was the soft glow of the moon. She entered the nearby forest, crashing into branches and hearing the harsh crunch beneath her feet every time she stepped on a twig or leaf. A howl was heard in the distance but she ignored in, intent on running until she could no longer run anymore. Nothing made sense anymore. Everyone who she knew and considered as pure and good were being condemned as witches. Elizabeth, Martha, Rebecca! She didn't understand it. And then all those she had known to be corrupted and tainted were considered holy, and praised throughout the village as saints. All of a sudden Abigail Williams was treated like a saint, and Reverend Parris was suddenly well regarded and praised. And Lord only knew about the Putnam family…She panted, finally settling against a tree and breathing in the cold night air. During her little mad sprint into the forest tears had managed to escape from her eyes. She breathed in heavily, closing her eyes and intent on resting here for the rest of the night.

"Natalia?" a voice 's eyes flew open as she looked around, only to find John Hale walking slowly towards her. She frowned, quickly rubbing the tear stains off her face for a second time that night.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, snidely. She admitted it probably wasn't the nicest thing to do in the current situation, but she was a bit pissed at him. He leads her into a forest, kisses her, runs away in shame, then follows her into another forest. That guy is too confusing for her own well being.

He looked down, as if sensing her anger and resentment towards her, "I'm sorry if I alarmed you—actually, I'm sorry for many things."

She raised her eyebrows cockily, "Want to start listing them off?" she asked.

He sighed."I know I've done wrong by you, Natalia." he said, "But I am truly, deeply sorry about your friends. I cannot imagine how you must be feeling."She remained silent, observing him. His brown hair seemed to be flying away in a disarray, and his green eyes pleaded towards her very soul. He was a broken minister, she decided. And it only made him appear even younger and more hopeless. Poor boy, she thought.

"And I'm sorry about the other day." he replied, "I should not have done that to you. If I had only thought—I understand how you must feel about that as well." he told her, and her face softened, "I should never have kissed you. You must think me a fool. I—"

"Wait!" Natalia stopped him, her face becoming hardened again, "I thought you were apologizing for leaving me."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes, "John, I am not mad at you for kissing me! Get that through that thick skull of yours!" she replied. Hale frowned, "Then what—" she interrupted, "I am mad at you because you left me in the forest and broke what was my first and most amazing kiss! And that you regret doing it! Cam you imagine how THAT makes me feel?"

He stared at her, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He had a confused and startled look on his face, and Natalia had to giggle a little. His eyebrows knotted in confusion and he cocked his head a bit to the side. "…I don't understand…" he murmured.

"Oh, God, John, you are dense." she said. She walked briskly towards him, put her arms around his shoulders, pressed up against him, and planted a sudden, hard kiss on his mouth. He tensed again, but to her relief did not pull away like last time. He kissed her back, his hand moving up to cup her face. Her stomach did a summersault as his kisses started to travel down her collarbone, as his hands moved away her thick hair from her neck. He then stopped, looking up at her as she looked down.

Natalia swallowed, taking a deep breath and trying to focus. Which was, at the current moment, hard to accomplish. "Why did you stop?" she whispered. He smiled up at her, leaning in close to whisper in her ear.

"I do think it wise to continue any much further." he murmured. She blushed, but did not reply. "Now is not the time to be too hasty." he told her. She nodded, her forehead brushed against his. She leaned into his body once again, sniffing.

"Do not make me think about what is to happen to my friends, John." she said, tears forming once again in her eyes. "I cannot bear it." He embraced her.

* * *

**Yay! lol. Once again, they make out, only to have Hale ruin it for the two of them. Poor, stupid Hale XD**

but you got to admit, if Hale was to make out with a girl, I dont think he'd be very proud of himself. He'd defffinatley be ashamed. Because hes a stupid minister

**Well, I hope you liked it! I dont know what time the next update will be. We'll just have to see.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Soldier of Passion**


	12. To Strive with One's Soul

****

Hey Readers!

**I know I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I've decided to get back on the roll. I finally found a website online that has the ALL Crucible movie. Now I don't have to take down notes and then try to write my fanfiction off of them. Because that's what I've been doing, and its hard to do! So now that I found my Crucible source I can have posts more often. Not to mention I have Februrary vacation now and will be spending some of it writing this story. So....YAY! hahaha**

**Anyways, there's not too much Hale/Natalia interaction in this chapter. But there is a surprise guest....dun dun dahhh. Can you guess who it is?**

**LOL. Remember to review at the end of the chapter! I always LOVE to read your comments!**

* * *

**To Strive with One's Soul. **

The day started off dreary and raining. Perhaps God was crying for Martha stared blankly ahead, her hand grasping Buffy's for moral support. They were at Martha Corey's trial, and things were not looking so well for their good friend. The judges were ruthless, especially Judge Hawthorne, and the afflicted girls were acting just as cruel.

"I know not what a witch is." Martha Corey retaliated to the accusation of killing the pigs.

"If you know not what a witch is, how do you know you are not one!" Hawthorne exclaimed confidently, gaining a bunch of supporting murmurs in the courtroom. Natalia rolled her eyes, of course, he was going to play dirty.

All of a sudden the doors to the courtroom burst open, and in came Giles Corey, John Proctor, Francis Nurse, and surprisingly, Mary Warren. But who was trailing behind them surprised her the most. Her brother, Peter! The courtroom was in an uproar in a second, faces turning every which way and looking around in shock. "Beware that man!" hollered Reverend Parris, pointing a finger to Procter in particular for Judge Danforth.

"I have evidence for the court," yelled Giles Corey, waving his finger, "the girls are frauds!"

Chaos. The whole room started to cry and holler in anger at his accusation. Natalia smirked; Abigail and the other girls didn't look very happy.

"Mary Warren has come back to tell the truth," he told them, gesturing to the young girl leaning helplessly on Proctors shoulders. Natalia barely recognized her anymore, she seemed so tired and worn out.

"She's a liar!" cried Susanna Walcott. Natalia rolled her eyes; that girl wasn't so sheepish and quiet anymore, it seemed. She wondered how long it took for Abigail to corrupt her. "Who is this man?" asked Danforth, looking at Giles in distrust. Parris, as usual, was eager to speak up."His name is Giles Corey, and a more contentious—"

"I can speak for myself!" Giles cut him off, then looked at Danforth, tipping his hat, "My name is Giles Corey, sir. And I've written up a deposition that will open up your eyes sir." He looked at Proctor, "This is John Proctor, he has three hundred acres," then gestured towards Francis and her brother, "Peter Paddock, who has two hundred acres, and Francis Nurse, five hundred acres!"

The room was more in a commotion then ever, so the judges decided to talk to Giles and the rest of the men in private. Natalia and Buffy followed after them, before Peter stopped them, his large hands holding them back.

"I don't think so, ladies," he said, restraining them from following them, "Natalia, you have to stay here. If something happens, I will let you know."

Natalia frowned, "But Peter—"

"Do not worry, dear baby sister," he said, smiling one of his large toothy grins and grasping her in a bear hug. She smiled, hugging him back; she missed her older brother. He looked down at her with his big blue eyes, "Everything will be alright now."

"Aye." she whispered.

---

"The court is in recess!" yelled Reverend Parris, and all the men of the court plus the four farmers and once afflicted girl followed them into the separate court house.

Hale grabbed his coat, following the men outside through the pouring rain, trekking through the mud and dirt. He sighed at the rain, perhaps God was crying for the condemned.

"I never called my wife a witch!" exclaimed Giles Corey as the entered the old courthouse, taking off his hat as they got out of the rain, "I only said she was reading strange books."

"We mean no disrespect sir," added Francis Nurse. Judge Danforth looked insulted.

"Disrespect? This is disruption, mister!" he replied, "This is the highest court of the Supreme Government of the Province. Do you know it?" He walked away, keeping his sense of dominance and superiority. He looked over at Hale, "Who is this man?"

"His wife is Rebecca Nurse that were condemned this morning," Hale explained, looking back at the old man whom he paid so much respect to. He felt awkward being on the opposing side, especially since he knew that Natalia was very good friends with all these people.

And her brother! Hale shuddered just looking at the large bulky farmer, who was obviously very close to his little sister. The man looked as if he could tare a man, and at this point Hale was thinking of himself, in two! If he ever knew about him and his sister…

"Nurse? Indeed," he stated, pouring himself some cider. Hale restrained himself from rolling his eyes; what was it with everybody in this town and their damned cider? "I have only good report of your character, sir. I am amazed to find you in this uproar."

Francis seemed discouraged for a moment, before continuing, "Your Excellency, we have proof for your eyes, the girls are frauds!"

At that moment Proctor and Miss Warren stepped forth, the girl looking rather distraught and as if she was in pain, her eyes glanced down as if God himself was pointing shame at her. Hale supposed that she must have been ashamed of being with the deceitful girls for so long. Perhaps Natalia was right. Though he prayed to God she wasn't…it would mean that there he was in a whole town of young sinners condemned to Satan.

"Mary Warren," said Reverend Parris, surprised, "we were told you were sick. What are you about here?"

"She has been striving with her soul, Mr. Parris," replied Proctor, his face red and teeth clenched, "She would speak with his Excellency—"

"Beware this man! This man is set and bound to destroy my ministry!" hollered Parris, pointing an accusing finger at Proctor. Proctor seemed unfazed, and only shrugged amusedly with Peter Paddock.

"Judge Sewell, I think you must hear this charge—" Hale started, trying to persuade the easier going judge. Judge Danforth may not listen to him, but Sewell might still have some respect for him.

"We must do nothing but what justice bids us, Mr. Hale," Danforth interrupted. Hale glared at him, before looking away and sighing in exhaustion. There was just no arguing with the man, he thought. "Now, will you tell us, Mary Warren?" he asked the girl, who jumped at the sudden attention. She looked at Proctor and Corey with big eyes, as if begging them not to make her speak.

"She never saw no sprits, sir," explained Proctor, speaking up for her. Hale sighed, this wouldn't be good enough unless it was from the girl's mouth herself. "And she will swear to you that none of the other girls ever saw them neither."

"And you intend to spread this lie through open court before the whole village!" pronounced Parris.

"We were sure your Excellency would welcome the truth, as we can prove it sir," replied Proctor.

Danforth studied the man for a while, as if weighing his strength and will. "Have you ever seen the devil, Mr. Proctor?"

Proctor looked stunned, frowning, "No."

"And there is no desire lurking in your heart to undermine these investigations?" he asked. Proctor shook his head.

"No, sir. I came only to save my innocent wife, and my friends."

Hale watched as Danforth took Sewell and Hawthorne aside, whispering to each other. He frowned at the trio, wondering if Sewell could convince the stern judge to listen to them. He sure wanted to know the proof that the girls were frauds; sure, Natalia had told him, but it was only out of emotional connections to the women and her gut suspicion that she thought they were lying. She really had no evidence to back up her case.

The three judges looked back at Proctor, and nodded to each other in agreement. Danforth stepped forward, "Your wife, Mr. Proctor, send me a claim that she is pregnant now." Proctor looked stunned, "There be no sign of it. We have examined her body."

Proctor shook his head, "But if she says she is pregnant then she must be. That woman will never lie, Mr. Danforth."

"She will not?"

"Never, sir, never."

"You say you have no other purpose then to safeguard her, very well. The law forbids harm to the innocent child. So if I tell you now that your wife will be safe until she is delivered, will you drop this charge?"

"He better not!" hollered Paddock, his voice booming in the room. Danforth looked at him curiously, as if noticing him for the first time.

"And what are you doing here, sir?" he asked, "You have a wife accused?"

Paddock shook his head, "No, sir. But these men's wives who have been accused have taken care of my sister while I have been away. They are good people, sir, and I know them not to be witches."

Danforth studied him carefully, before turning his attention back to Proctor. Proctor, startled by Paddock's outburst, looked at the young man and nodded, gesturing to the other men in the room.

"These are my friends, their wives are also accused—" he started quietly.

"Ah ha!" proclaimed Parris, jumping up in excitement. "He comes to overthrow the court; his case is just dust in your eyes!"

Proctor looked down, "I am no lawyer—"

"This case needs no lawyers, Mr. Proctor," replied Danforth, "Proceed as you will. And quickly." he said, sitting down.

"This is a sort of testimony, signed by ninety one people. And as you will see, they claim they have known our wives for many years, never seen no sign of the Devil."

Parris looked flabbergasted, "This is a clear attack upon the court."

"Is every defense an attack upon the court?" asked Hale, exasperatedly. He was tired from listening to them go back and forth arguing. He could be at home, resting, or sleeping, or with Natalia…

He started to daze off about the girl until he remembered that her older and much stronger brother was within a five step radius.

"All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem." Parris defended, "These people are gloomy for it! I think you must wish to know why."

Danforth stood up, walking away from the group and staring at the parchment in contemplation, "Mr. Cheever," he started, walking towards the man, "have warrants drawn for all of these. Arrest for examination."

Conflicting murmurs were heard throughout the room, and Hale stared at Danforth in shock. "By God," he whispered. The name had almost one hundred people on it; how many people would one man condemn before he reached his limit?

"I have brought trouble on these people." Francis moaned, shaking his head in sadness. Paddock laid a reassuring hand on the elder man's shoulder.

"Not if they are of good conscience, Mr. Nurse," said Danforth, "You misunderstand, sir. A person is either with this court or against it. There is no road between." he looked around the room, "This is a new time. A precise time. We live no longer in the dusky afternoon, and evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now by God's grace the good folk and the evil entirely separate. I hope you will find your place with us."

The room was quiet, everyone reflecting on the judge's harsh words. It was true; the society has separated since the start of the witch trials. Hale wondered if he had anything to do with it. He wondered if he would be condemned in the end if the farmers turned out correct and the girls were frauds. Would God turn his back on him?

* * *

**And that's the long awaited chapter 12! As I said, there should be much more posts now since I found it online.**

Next chapter shall be longer and better! I swears it!

**Much love.**

**-Soldier of Passion**


	13. It Wasn't Purely Platonic

**Hey Readers!**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I know I told y'all that I would get it out faster then ever, and I could have...if I wasn't so lazy. Haha. I just had crazy homework, work at Market Basket, and**

colorguard practice almost every single day and havent had a REAL chance to work on it. But now that school is out, I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, I shall work on this more then ever. Seriously, like I

said before, I'm not giving up on this fanfiction at all. My readers deserve a good Hale/OC fic, and damn well I'm gonna give it to them!

Anyways, here is the long awaited Chapter 13. It's okay. I really just wanted to update since I haven't in a while.

Enjoy! :)

**It wasn't purely platonic…**

* * *

The court house was empty as people left to go home, returning to their daily activities. Natalia was wringing her hands, wondering what was going on with the men. And, not only was she worried about the outcome, she was very unnerved about her brother Peter being in the same room as the man she had come to, dare she say it, love.

Especially when said brother has a tendency to blow things out of proportion.

She left the court house, strolling over to the church house, where she found Mary Warren rocking back and forth, crying quietly. Natalia frowned, looking at the girl in pity. She crouched down, sitting next to her and remaining silent for a couple of minutes.

"You are doing the right thing, Mary," Natalia spoke up, looking over at the other girl. Mary looked over, puzzled. She sighed, "You need to stop this madness once and for all. You'll be saving lives. Innocent lives."

"Abby—" Mary stuttered quietly.

"I know that Abby threatened you," she said, "But you have to stay strong. We'll protect you from her," the dark haired girl said, adding darkly, "I'll protect you from her."

Mary remained rocking, unfazed by her support, "She be killing us next, Natalia."

Natalia frowned, "I know that she'll try—she will name us witches—but we have to hope that the court and God will bring out the truth about Abby's wicked lies and save us."

Mary blinked and looked away, "She'll tell your secret."

Her heart felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times over. Natalia gulped, trying to swallow her pride and looked over at the suddenly silent girl, "I don't know what you're talking—"

"She knows about you and Reverend Hale!" Mary told her frantically, "She'll use it against you!"

"H-how—?"

"She has seen you! Out in the forest!" she whispered, "She'll be calling you a temptress."

Natalia bit her lip, anxiety washing over her as she stared into the burning fire. She didn't think that anybody would be watching them…not that she really did anything with the reverend. But the simple little kisses that were exchanged between them would be blown up to scandalous proportions in the court. Abigail would make sure of that. Silence filled the room, Mary surely worried about what wicked deeds the other girls would do to her, and Natalia worried about her brother and the rest of the towns people finding out the relationship between herself and the reverend wasn't purely platonic.

Footsteps were heard.

Natalia looked up to see the witch trial girls, looking as foreboding as can be. Natalia scowled, standing up protectively over Mary. Abigail glared at her.

"Go away, Abigail Williams," she hissed, "and leave her alone."

Abigail smirked, "Mary needs to understand what she is getting herself into by siding with the Devil."

"She already knows what it is like to side with the devil, she was on your side for a while," Natalia spat.

The smirk never faltered, "Natalia, I don't think you are in the position to be making judgments of people."So that's how she was going to play, was it?

Natalia glared, "Neither are you," she said, adding, "at least he wasn't married with children."

Abigail just glared, and the smirk started to falter.

"You tell on me, Williams, and I'll tell on you. There is no way that the judges would overlook the 'poor innocent' Williams girl committing adultery with Mr. Proctor! You'd be judge a harlot!"

"At least he wasn't a minister…a man of God."

"At least he didn't have children! And a wife! You home-wrecker."

A few gasps were heard, and Abigail stared at the Italian girl with as much hatred and contempt as possible. Her fists clenched as Natalia stood there looking proud and smirking all the same.

"At least I'm not the reverend's whore."

Smack! Abigail's eyes widened as she pressed her palm against her cheek, suddenly red and swollen from Natalia's hand. Collective gasps could be heard from the room, and everyone was studying Abigail, wondering what she would do next. Natalia rolled her eyes, grabbing Mary's arm and hoisting her off the floor.

"Come on, Mary," she said, looking dangerously at the other girls, "we're leaving."

They ran towards the courthouse, against the pouring rain away from those dark girls. Natalia sighed as she heard Mary crying, and saw tears pouring down her eyes that mixed with the rain water. Mary fell, causing her to lift the girl up once more and drag her muddy body into the shelter.

"Excellency, it is understandable that he conceals the man's name. There is prodigious fear of this court," she heard a voice speak up, and Natalia looked to see Hale defending Giles Corey. She smiled brightly.

"No uncorrupted man may fear this court," Danforth replied, "None. Giles Corey, you are under arrest in contempt—"

"What!" Natalia exclaimed, marching towards the judge scowling, "You can't do that!" She was then held back by Peter and Proctor, struggling against the older, stronger men, "That's unfair!" Hale looked sadly at her, and didn't move to restrain her.

Judge Danforth glared at the struggling girl, "Keep the child quiet, else she leaves this court room immediately." he said, then focused his attention back on Giles, "Now, you reveal the man's name who accuses Mr. Putnam, or you will sit in jail until you be forced to answer our questions."

"I'll have your throat, Putnam!" Giles yelled, grasping Putnam's neck in an attempt to throttle him, "I'm not done with you!" Reverend Parris, and other men from the court flagged the older man, taking him off the Putnam.

"He means to hang us all!" Giles yelled, as he was taken away.

"Have no fear Giles, this will bring you hope!" Proctor hollered, waving the deposition in the air. Parris glared at the piece of paper, a symbol of freedom against the corruption of the court.

"Mary Warren's deposition, sir," Proctor said, handing the note to the judge, "She swears upon her immortal soul she lied and that her friends lie now. They never saw Satan, and no witch ever hurt them. That is the truth sir."

Everybody looked back at Mary Warren, who was standing there as if she was able to fall over. Natalia would have felt bad for the anxiety ridden girl if she had not participated in the witch trials. The room remained eerily silent as Judge Danforth read the deposition.

"Excellency, clearly this goes to the heart of the matter," John Hale finally spoke up, causing the judge to nod and reread the deposition. He blinked as the man ignored him, so he pressed on, "For God's name, sir, a claim so weighty can not be argued by a farmer, send him home and let him return with a lawyer."

Danforth frowned, "Now look you, sir—"

"I have signed 17 DEATH WARRANTS!" John shouted, snapping the courtroom out of its quiet trance. Natalia's eyebrows raised at his sudden burst of anger, and she started to get livid as she realized that he was arguing against Proctor…and herself. "This argument you must let lawyers present to you!" he told him.

"For a man of such terrible learning you are most bewildered, Mr. Hale," Danforth replied calmly, clearly not affected by the younger man's sudden outburst, "Do forgive me, I have been forty two year at the bar, and while I call to defend these people I promise you I should be confounded."

"Consider now, in an ordinary trial, witnesses are called to prove guilt or innocence," Danforth went on, "But, witchcraft is an invisible crime. Therefore, who may witness it, the witch, of course, and the victim. Now we cannot expect the witch to accuse herself, can we? Therefore, we may only rely on her victims, and the children certainly testify.

Therefore, what is there for a lawyer to bring out?"

Hale cast his green eyes down, then looked over at Mary and back at the judge, "This one claims the girls are not truthful."

"That is precisely what I am about to consider, what more may you ask of me?" the judge replied, mocking the young reverend to make him feel foolish. John took one last look at Danforth before turning away, leaning against the wall. Natalia frowned at him, and he cast his eyes away from her.

"Mr. Herrick, bring the children, here."

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**CLIFFHANGER! Dun dun dahhH!**

I could have gone on and expanded this chapter, but I felt like making the big scene of the movie one whole chapter, and I felt like that didn't really start until Abigail entered the courtroom. So that's

what the next chapter will start with! And I promise there will be a lot more Hale/Natalia interaction! Oh, and review!

Have a happy Memorial Day!

Love, Soldier of Passion


	14. Confessions

**WOW. How time flies! Told you I would not give up on this fanfic!**

**I know, I know. I haven't updated this in what, two years? I think the last time I wrote this I just graduated HIGH SCHOOL. Shit, that was a long time ago. I'm now a sophomore in college, that's crazy!**

**Anyways, once more, sorry. I should have posted this a LONG time ago. And I wish this chapter was better. A bunch of this is just stuff you can read in the original story. There's one cute part with Hale and Natalia that I decided to throw in for you guys. So I hope you enjoy this and I hope I can get the next chapter up sooner then TWO YEARS. lol. And hopefully it will be more of my own stuff then just reciting stuff from the play/movie.**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Confessions**

When they stepped foot into the courtroom, she felt as if any hope of clearing Rebecca's or Martha's or even Elizabeth's name was gone. Happiness left the room, and the whisper of dread fell upon all those seeking justice. Natalia's eyes glared at Abigail's arriving form, with her held high haughtily as if all who looked upon her saw the face of heaven. She sneered; all she saw was a loathsome, pathetic whore.

The girls, however, followed her like lamb among a shepherd. When she sat down, they sat down. They knew it was better to be friends with Satan then on the opposing side.

Danforth studied the girls carefully, every scratch, every twitch, every suggestion of nerves that might suggest that they were hiding something. All of them portrayed some form of tenseness, whether it be the small one in the corner chewing her nails, or the last on the right biting her lip. All of them were on edge, except Abigail, who seemed to be at peace. He studied her for a long time before frowning.

"Who struck you, child?" he asked softly, indicating to the bright red hand print burning on her pale skin. She looked quickly at Natalia who glared back at her, daring her to tell the judge.

"Nobody, Judge Danforth," Abigail quickly lied, "I had fallen and had attempted to stop the fall with my hand." He stared levelly at her for a few minutes before nodding, apparently appeased, and sat back in his chair.

"Your friend Mary Warren has given us a deposition," he started, staring back at Mary, whose wretched form was currently being comforted by Procter, "In which she swears that she never saw familiar spirits, apparitions, nor any manifest of the Devil. She claims as well, that none of you have seen these things either."

The girls shifted uncomfortably. Natalie smirked and crossed her arms. She hoped that they were feeling horrible.

Danforth continued, "Now, children, this is a court of law. The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible writ by Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft, and describes death as the penalty thereof. But, likewise, children, the law and Bible damn all liars, and bearers of false witness. " He looked quickly at Abigail who stared back without remorse, "Now then… it does not escape me that this deposition may be devised to blind us; it may well be that Mary Warren has been conquered by Satan who sends her here to distract our sacred purpose. If so, her neck will break for it."

Mary issued out a large sob, stopping Danforth's tongue and causing everyone in the room to look painful. Natalia looked quickly at Hale, who tried to smile comfortably at her. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that it was he who was holding her. He clearly wanted that too.

"But if she speaks true, I bid you now drop your guile and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier with you. Abigail Williams, rise." Abigail rose slowly from her seat, ready to start once more the pretense that she was a good and righteous girl, "Is there any truth in this?

She glared contemptuously at Mary, "No sir."

" Children, a very auger bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved. Will either of you change your positions now, or do you force me to hard questioning?" Danforth questioned, hoping that one of the girls would admit pretense and this whole mess would be solved.

"I have naught to change, sir. She lies." Abigail spit. Mary also shook her head no, signaling that she would not back off from this case. Natalia smiled proudly at her. Danforth, however, appeared more annoyed than ever. He glanced around his desk, looking at all of the depositions and charges set against the accused. Finally, he found what he was looking for and glanced back at Abigail.

"A poppet were discovered in Mister Proctor's house, stabbed by a needle. Mary Warren claims that you sat beside her in the court when she made it, and that you saw her make it, and witnessed how she herself stuck her needle into it for safe-keeping. What say you to that?"

Abigail appeared affronted, "It is a lie, sir."

"And while you worked for Mister Proctor, did you see poppets in that house?"

"Goody Proctor always kept poppets—"

"Your Honor, my wife never kept no poppets. Mary Warren confesses it was her poppet." Proctor spoke up, stopping Abigail from ruining his wife's name further. Cheever then went on to claim that Elizabeth admitted to keeping poppets when she was a girl, which caused another whole commotion.

Natalia stood up quickly, "What does that have to do with anything? I had poppets as a child and I haven't seen the light of day of them for years now! It's been at least fifteen years since Goody Proctor has been a girl!"

Hawthorne glared at the girl, "But a poppet will keep fifteen years, will it not? And had not we told you to keep quiet, Ms. Paddock?"

She growled but nodded indignantly, before grabbing her hands to her hand and muttering, "I can't stand this place. I need air." With that she glared once more at the girls before sprinting out of the court house, with Hale rushing behind her. She stopped once she felt the cool, damp air, and stayed under the protection of the court house's narrow roof. It was still raining heavily.

She couldn't believe the lengths these girls would go to in order to prolong this pretense. How many murders, how many innocent necks broken off at the noose would be enough? She couldn't bear the thought of her friends facing the gallows, while Abigail stood proud and holy. And those girls that followed her every whim and lied with her were nothing more than the faces of Judas. She felt a warm presence behind her and sunk into its hard form, smiling as a warm body enveloped her completely.

His breath tickled her ear, "I am sorry you have to go through this," he whispered, pushing a dark strand over her ear, "If you want to leave, I shall tell you of what happened in the morrow."

She sighed, peering up into his bright green eyes and smiled softly, "Nay, I cannot leave, knowing that what happens here determines the fate of all my friends, and perhaps myself."

His eyes hardened and his arms wrapped stronger around her waist, "Nothing shall happen to you, I promise," he said, kissing her lips softly. She hummed and closed her eyes, enjoying his compassion. She smirked into the kiss and broke it teasingly.

"If someone catches us we'll be the scandal of the parish," she told him, smiling all the while. As if she cared what the village thought of her anymore. When they bring down angels and rise up a whore she can hardly take what the people thought seriously.

He smiled, looking around and finding no soul that would scurry around in the drenching rain, "Oh Natalia," he breathed, clutching her once more, "what I would do to have you so that I shall be able to kiss you in public."

She frowned at him, "I beg your pardon?"

Hale just continued smiling, like a young boy seeing his favorite toy for the first time, "It is just something to dwell on," he said, tracing her face softly with his long fingers, "I think sometimes that I should like to make you my wife."

She gaped at him, but he just continued smiling and pecked her head, "Come, we have been away long enough," he continued as she just stared blankly back at him, before nodding dumbly, "They will start to get suspicious."

When they came back the pair was met with raised voices, particularly Danforth questioning Reverend Parris and he stuttering back excuses for his nieces behavior. They were granted a few questioning and odd looks, particularly from her older brother, but they ignored him and sat down to listen to the hearing. Natalia, however, couldn't get what John had said to her; was he serious? It feels as if we just met, she thought to herself, glancing sideways at the handsome man, am I ready for such commitment?

Mother would say so, she thought, I'm just about the right age. A couple more months and I will be eighteen, and a lawful woman. She looked once more at him, and he's long overdue, she thought.

"Excellency, if you permit me, I should like to speak to the child," Hawthorne spoke up, and she felt herself tense up. Out of all of the judges in Salem, he had to be the most enthusiastic for Abigail's case. Danforth, while determined to keep the court in control, would not be so blind to allow this kind of devilry if he truly didn't believe that the girls were being attacked. She doubted this judge cared much whether it was pretense or not. But Danforth nodded, allowing it, and the chain of craziness had begun.

"You say you never saw no spirits, Mary, were never threatened or afflicted by any manifest of the Devil or the Devil's agents?" he asked, and Mary spoke up with a hesitant no, "And yet, when people accused of witchery confronted you in court, you would faint, saying their spirits came out of their bodies and choked you—"

"That was pretense sir," Mary exclaimed. Instead of being thrown off he smiled widely.

"Then can you pretend to faint now?" he asked politely.

"Now?" Mary questioned, her eyes widening as if he asked her something impossible.

Parris stood up, crossing his arms and smirking snidely, "Why not? Now there are no spirits attacking you, for none in this room is accused of witchcraft. So let you turn yourself cold now, let you pretend you are attacked now, let you faint. Prove to us how you pretended in court so many times!"

Mary seemed to quiver under the intense gaze of the court and looked to Proctor for comfort, "I…cannot faint now, sir," she said, trembling. Proctor looked at her, alarmed.

"Can you not pretend it?" he asked quietly. She looked at him wildly, "I have no sense of it now!"

"Might it be that here we have no afflicting spirit loose, but in the court there were some?" Danforth questioned harshly, but Mary continued to deny it, claiming that she never saw any spirits and the other girls didn't either. The court was heated, everything was getting out of control and there was no way of determining which way the wind blow favorable.

Mary continued to struggle against the taunting of Reverend Parris and the judge, "I… I cannot tell you how, but I did. I… I heard the other girls screaming, and you, your Honor, you seemed to believe them and I… It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits!

She cried louder, and Natalia moved to comfort her, taking the larger girl into her arms, "and I… I promise you, Mister Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not!"

The court was silent as everybody took in her testimony. Danforth remained unconvinced.

"Abigail Williams!" he called, and she held her chin up unwavering and proudly, "I bid you now search your heart, and tell me this—and beware of it, child, to God every soul is precious and His vengeance is terrible on them that take life without cause. Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusion only, some deception that may cross your mind when—"

Abigail scowled, "Have I not seen my blood runnin' out! I have been near murdered every day because I have done my duty in pointing out the Devil's people! And this is my reward? To be mistrusted?" she spat.

"Child, I do not mistrust you—" Danforth started weakly.

"Let you beware Mr. Danforth! You think you to be so mighty that the Devil may not turn your wits around?"

Danforth looked at her angrily, "What say you child?"

Abigail stood proudly, thrusting her hands on her hips, "The Devil is here in Salem, Judge Danforth! And I—I" and with that she screamed, pointing to a place among the rafter and guiding her hand to her heart. Her eyes widened and she started trembling, and the girls behind her started following her lead. Natalia rolled her eyes; what actresses.

Abigail wrapped her arms around her body, huffing as if it were the middle of December, "A wind," she struggled to say, and looked towards Mary and Natalia who were glancing at the group with much distain, "A cold wind has come."

Mary's eyes widened, terrified, "Abby!" she yelled. Natalia remained fixed at her spot, unfazed.

"Your honor, I freeze!" Mercy yelled, making her teeth chatter as if she was actually frozen. Hawthorne ran over to check their temperatures, and exclaimed that they were cold as ice. Well of course they are when you desperately want them to be, Natalia thought.

"They're pretending!" Hale and Proctor cried at the same time, causing Danforth to consider them carefully.

"Reverend Hale?"

John frowned, "Your honor, I confess it, I do not trust these girls!"

"Mary, why do you send this shadow on me?" cried the girls, and Mary continued to cry into her friend's shoulder. "Lord, save me!" she whispered. The girls continued to shiver violently, as if possessed by some unseen demon, and chattered that "they freeze" over and over again in a strange sort of spell.

Danforth seemed convinced, however, that Mary was sending some sort of spell on the girls, "Mary Warren," he thundered, "do you witch these girls? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?"

By this point Abigail was practically shouting, "Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow!"

"WHORE!"

Proctor screamed, and the whole court was in uproar once more. Abigail stopped screaming at once, and looked upon him with fear,"How dare you call to Heaven?" he yelled, running over to her and grabbing her forcefully by the wrist as she tried to claim he was lying. "Mark her, now she'll suck a scream to stab me with but IT IS A WHORE!"

Danforth seemed taken aback, "This shall not pass," he said, looking upon the pair in wonder, "You will prove this."

"I have known her sir," he uttered tiredly, hanging his head low in shame, "I have known her."

"In what time…" Danforth started, "In what place…"

He seethed, "In the proper place, where my beasts are bedded!" he cried, and stared pleadingly up at the judge, "I beg you sir, see her for what she is. My wife, my dear good wife took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the high road. And being what she is, a lump of vanity!" he shouted, and began to weep, "She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might!—for I thought of her softly, and God help me, I lusted!

But this is a whore's vengeance. I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now. My wife is innocent, except she know a whore when she see one."

And there is was. The confession that she had been waiting for this entire case, was blurted out in a moment of passion and desperation. Natalia, while always assuming that this was the truth, had never really given much thought about Proctor. She had always thought Abigail was just a teasing harlot who had manipulated a good man. She had never given much thought about Proctor wanting to be with her. The whole situation made her gag.

But here it was, plain as truth now, and there was no going back. Abigail couldn't worm her way out of this, she thought, no matter how slippery a snake may be it is always caught in the end. Abigail would have to answer for these awful deeds, Natalia thought to herself then smiled and looked at Hale, and then she will go away for years, and I can live the rest of my peaceful life with John in the company of good friends.

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**That's all for now! And yes, you can yell at me for the two year wait. It's totally cool.**

**Love ya! -Soldier of Passion**


	15. Follower of the Devil's Man

**WOW. Okay, this chapter is longer then usual. I would have split it in half but I felt as if it should be one long chapter.**

I had a lot of trouble deciding what to do with Natalia. Hopefully, you like what I have done. I know a lot of you won't and will be like WTF. But I did in my heart what I thought was right. Not sure exactly what is going to happen to her in the VERY END, but I'm sure I'll make the right decision for everyone.

Enjoy this chapter. :) And remember to review! I love those things!

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**Chapter Fifteen**

A whore was unmasked. Naked to the world, Abigail could no longer hide behind the pretense of holiness and self-righteousness that blanketed around her this past couple months. And the court had become a lie; it followed the ravenous screaming and delusions of a girl who was not as pure as she claimed to be.

Danforth was the first to speak, looking at the child suspiciously, "Do you deny every scrap and title of this?"

Abigail suddenly got over her shock, "If I have to answer that, sir, I will leave and never come back again!" she screamed, rising to her feet and making her way towards the door.

"She does not deny it!" Hale announced, "She does not deny it!"

"Girl, you will remain where you are," the judge yelled at her, and she halted where she stood. He looked quickly for someone else in the room, his eyes fixed on the other reverend, "Mister Parris, you will go into the court and bring Goody Proctor out. Tell her not what's been spoken here. And let you knock before you enter.

Now we will get to the bottom of this swamp," he started, and motioned to Proctor, "Your wife, you say, is an honest woman?"

"In her life, sir, she have never lied," he proclaimed, gesturing around the room, "Ask anyone here, they will vouch. Some woman cannot sing, others cannot lie…my wife, she cannot lie."

There was a knock at the door, and Danforth halted any more questions. He looked towards Abigail and Proctor, bidding them to turn their backs to the court as Elizabeth was escorted into the court by Parris.

Natalia hadn't seen Elizabeth Proctor for what seemed like months, and she couldn't believe how weak and fragile she had become. The Goody Proctor she knew was strong and youthful. This woman looked as if she could break apart as easily as a twig. This is the destruction that these witch trials have brought, she thought to herself, they break apart children from their mothers, husbands from their wives, thinking of the Nurses, and condemned the holiest of them all.

Peter, who she had almost forgotten was there, whispered to his younger sister, "God, do you see that? What happened to her?" Natalia looked back at him sadly, and shrugged. He grasped her small hand in his own large one.

"Do not look at your husband," Danforth told Elizabeth, who was staring at her husband's back morosely, "In my eyes only. We are given to understand that at one time you dismissed your servant, Abigail Williams."

"That is true sir," she said softly, her voice had gone hoarse after the long period of dehydration she had suffered.

"For what cause did you dismiss her?" he asked, and when her eyes drifted her snapped at her, "Do not look at your husband. The answer is in your memory and you need no help to answer me. Why did you dismiss Abigail Williams?"

Elizabeth licked her lips, nervous, "She…dissatisfied me sir," she started, before adding, "and my husband."

"In what way dissatisfied you?" he asked, and as she began to glance at her husband he yelled once more, "Woman, look at me! Were she slovenly? Lazy? What disturbance did she cause?"

"Your Honor, my husband is a good and righteous man. He is never drunk, as some are, nor wastin' his time at the shovelboard, but always at his work. But I were a long time sick after my last baby, and I thought I saw my husband turning from me. And this girl…well, I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits, I think, and put her out on the high road," she cried.

"And did he indeed turn from you?" he asked, and when she started to stutter and look for the others for help, including Natalia, he yelled once more, "Look at me! To your own knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery?"

In a flash of light, Elizabeth had to make a choice. Speak the truth, and declare to the court that her husband was, indeed, a lecher. Or lie. Conserve her husband's good name.

"No, sir," she said faintly. Danforth gazed levelly and banged his gavel. Natalia felt as if she were going to be sick.

"My Lord…" Peter whispered.

"Elizabeth…" she started, beginning to tremble. She lied. Meaning, that in the eyes of the court, Proctor was not a lecher, and Abigail was no whore. Abigail then had no motive to destroy Elizabeth and continue this ridiculous escapade. People were still going to die.

"Remove her," the judge ordered. Proctor and Abigail turned around, and he looked pleadingly at his wife. Abigail's frown lifted to a smug smile.

"Elizabeth, I confessed it!" he yelled. Realizing what she had just done, Elizabeth cursed softly to herself as she was lead out of the court. Proctor approached Danforth pleadingly.

"She only meant to save my name!" he beseeched, but the judge ignored him.

"Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell. I beg you; stop now, before another is condemned!" Hale exclaimed, crying out in anguish, and Abigail glared at him, "I believe him! I cannot turn my face from it no more. By my oath to heaven, this girl has always struck me false!" he yelled as he pointed at Abigail.

All of a sudden she shrieked, covering her hands over her mouth and glancing up at the ceiling in fear, "You both will not!" she cried, her brown eyes widening, "Begone! Begone I say!" The girls rose up as well, transfixed and silent as they stared up at the ceiling.

At last, Mercy Lewis spoke up, "They're on the beam!" she howled, "behind the rafter!" All of the judges, on cue, looked up as well, searching for whatever devilry bothered the girls this time. Mumbles of 'where' and 'what are they' was heard throughout the court. Even Natalia, despite herself, found herself looking at the ceiling.

"Why do you come yellow birds?" Abigail asked, and continued to look up. Her mouth parted rapidly as if she was in deep conversation with a spirit. Proctor scoffed.

"I see no birds!"

Abigail continued to mummer to herself, and laid her hands upon her face, shaking her head in fear, "My face? But God made my face, you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary. Natalia, why do you help her? Why?"

Natalia, who had assumed her plot was to destroy only Mary Warren, jerked suddenly as she heard her name called. Her dark eyes widened and lips parted in fear, and she looked over to see all of the girls looking upon her. Natalia shook her head, rising from her seat and leaning against her big bear of a brother for support.

He glared, "You cannot believe this!" he roared.

Natalia looked around and found Danforth studying her carefully. She gulped, "Abigail is a liar. She is mad at Reverend Hale for speaking against her and is using me—"

"Using you for what?" Danforth questioned harshly. Natalia gulped, her eyebrows narrowing in fear. This is what she was trying to do; Abigail was trying to paint HER as a whore now. If she told him why, she was no better than Abby. If not, she was a witch. She wanted to cry.

She managed to stay cool, "Why should I try and rip off Abby's face when I have a superior one of my own," Natalia snarled, and Abigail hissed back, before returning her attention back at the rafter. Her brother laughed heartily. Mary Warren just continued to cry and hug herself. She was probably glad that some of the attention was off of herself, however.

"Oh Natalia, this is a black art to change your shape…"

"They're pretending Mr. Danforth!" Proctor exclaimed, "Miss Paddock has kept a Christian life all these years. This is a rival's spat; they have always loathed each other!"

"Natalia, please don't hurt me!" Abigail yelled, ignoring everyone else. The girl's continued to weep and point at the ceiling. Danforth grabbed her shoulders roughly and looked her in the eyes.

"Natalia Paddock, what are you doing to these girls to make them suffer so?" he demanded, and she just shook her head dumbly. She looked over to her lover in support, who looked just as lost and confused as she was. Hale crossed the room and took the judge's grip off of the small girl, and stood in front of her protectively.

"I have asked Miss Paddock for her hand in marriage earlier this evening," he exclaimed, and Natalia's eyebrows lifted in shock. True, they had talked about the idea, but there was no formal proposal. "This is a cruel attempt of revenge for speaking against them. She knows I love this woman."

"WHAT?" yelled her brother, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. He threateningly made his way towards the shorter man, but his sister held him back. She peered desperately at him, trying to make him understand.

The judge blinked at this admission, and glanced quickly back and forth at the reverend and the small girl that was hiding behind him. The girls, he then noticed, had gotten awfully quiet and stopped their pointing and howling to look on in interest. Abigail Williams seemed the only one still intent on damning Natalia.

"A reverend's wife is not likely to be a witch, Ms. Williams," he said quietly, "perhaps you are mistaken."

And then she understood. Hale was trying to help, and save her. If a reverend confessed his love for a woman, it was unlikely that woman was a witch. Her brother seemed to understand this as well and stopped his intention of beating the other man to a pulp.

She ignored the judge, "Oh please Mary!" she yelled, and girls began weeping once more and pointed at the ceiling, "Please don't come down! Natalia, stay away!"

Ann shrieked, "Her claws! She's stretching her claws!"

"Why does she see this vision?" Danforth demanded, shaking her small form. Apparently, Hale's cause was all but lost. Abigail had too much power now. Nothing could save her if Abigail wanted her dead. Hawthorne shook Mary out of her cowering state, demanding the same of her.

"She sees nothing!" Mary yelled. Natalia nodded as well.

Abigail, pretending to be hypnotized, cried "She see's nothing!" mimicking Mary's exact tone and voice. It was as if she was transfixed by the Devil.

"Abby, stop it!" Natalia exclaimed. This time the girls copied Natalia as well.

"Abby, I'm here! Stop this!" Mary cried. The girls continued to mimic the accused.

"Mary Warren! Natalia Paddock! Draw your spirits out of them!" Danforth commanded. Hale desperately tried to persuade the judges that they were lying.

"Your Honor, please!" Hale cried, trying to push him off of the girl, "She's innocent! I know her! She got naught an evil bone in her body!"

"Mister Danforth, please!" Natalia cried. The girls chorused "Mister Danforth, please!"

He glared suspiciously at her, "Why can they only copy the two of you!"

"Give me a whip, I'll stop it!" Proctor spoke up, ready to end this foolishness.

The judge ignored him, speaking to the two accused, "When did you compact with the Devil?"

"We never have!"

"We never have!" a chorus.

"They're sportin'!" Mary tried to explain.

"They're sportin'!"

Mary turned on the girls, her face hysterical as she waved her arms up and around. She stomped her feet angrily, "Abby stop it!"

The girls stamped their feet, "Abby stop it!"

"Stop it!" a shout, and Mary raised her fist.

"Stop it!" they raised their fists.

Mary collapsed, utterly confused and shriveled to a hot mess on the floor. She couldn't take any more of this. Natalia, who had remained silent for most of this, couldn't blame her. Now that she was accused, she felt hopeless. The judges ignored the truth and were enchanted with this drama. There was nothing else she could do. And as Mary whimpered, the rest of the girls whimpered.

Danforth turned his attention to Mary this time, "A little while ago you were afflicted. Now it seems you afflict others; where did you find this power?

Mary stared at Abigail, "I have no power!" Another repetition.

"They're gulling you, Mister!" Proctor shouted.

"Why did you turn about this past two weeks? You have seen the Devil, have you not?" Danforth continued. He peered over at the other young girl, currently being held protectively in John Hale's arms, "Was it her? Did she convince you to write in the Devil's book?"

"Judge Danforth!" Hale exclaimed, his green eyes widening, "Please, end this tirade!"

Mary started to stutter quietly, looking around the room in fear. Proctor could sense her weakening, "Mary, God damns all liars."

Natalia started to cry silently, "Mary…please. We're friends. I'll protect you—"

"You will confess yourself or you shall hang!" Danforth exclaimed.

Abigail shrieked suddenly, pointing towards the ceiling, "Their wings! Their wings are spreading! Mary, please, don't, don't…! They are going to come down! Natalia's walking the beam! Look out! They're coming down!" And with that, all of the girls screamed and dashed down the court room. In hysteria, they covered their heads and all stared on in horror at this fit.

In the midst of confusion and chaos, they followed the girls out of the court house. The whole town gathered to watch this moment of hysteria. They ran into the nearby pond, splashing around as if their bodies were controlled by the Devil himself. Mary Warren ran to the girls in desperation, as if attempting to crawl back into Abigail's arms. Proctor grabbed her by the arm, trying to restrain her. Mary Warren pushed him off, falling back in the cold water and drenching herself.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, and when Natalia waded through the pond she pointed at her violently, "Stay back! Go away!"

"Mary!" Proctor and Natalia exclaimed in shock, their lower bodies drenched in the cold, murky water. Natalia's bonnet had come off in the process of running after the girls, and her wild dark curls sprawled untamed across her back. She looked wild; she looked like a witch.

"You are the Devi's man!" she cried, backing away from Proctor, "And you his follower!"

"Praise God!" Reverend Parris cried, clasping his hands together. Danforth walked closely towards the pond.

"He bid you do the Devil's work?" he asked, and Mary nodded crazily. She looked like raving lunatic.

"He come at me by night and every day to sign, to sign, to…" she gulped, unable to form a coherent sentence. She pointed at Proctor, "My name, he want my name; I'll murder you, he says, if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court, he says…!"

Hale speaks up at once, "Excellency, this girl's gone wild!"

Natalia walked pleadingly towards her friend, who just pushed her away. "No, I'll go your way no more!" she screamed, "I love God! I love God! Oh Abby!" she cried, and she splashed her way towards Abigail and threw her arms around her, and cried upon her shoulder, "I'll never hurt you no more!"

Danforth, seeing Mary's confession, pleaded Natalia to confess as well. Natalia just shook her head and pushed her way towards Hale. Sadly, she wrapped her arms around his stomach and cried into his chest, begging him to save her. His hands rubbed soothingly up and down her back, trying to calm her.

"This is not witchcraft!" Hale implored, "Those girls are frauds! You condemn an honest man and an innocent woman!"

Danforth ignored Hale once more, as usual. He was intent on bringing down the two of them. "Proctor!" he yelled, "I have seen your ways! You are combined with Anti-Christ! What say you?"

Proctor smiled slightly, his face red with sweat and dark hair matted to his forehead, "I say you are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore…" he commented, and Natalia looked to see Abigail look down guilty, small tears forming at her eyes. "I say GOD IS DEAD!"

The town screamed in anguish, and Danforth ordered Cheever and his men to take Proctor and Natalia and send them to jail. Natalia screamed as she felt strong hands grip her forearms and thrust her off of Hale, who was desperately trying to hang on. However, her love was a scholar, not a strong man, and could not fend off the men whose intent was to jail her. Before she passed out in shock, she faintly remembered the voice of her brother, who was cursing profusely at the men, knocking them into the water. She remembered her love trying to help, but, being overcome, claiming that he would quit the court. She remembered the desperation in Reverend Parris's and Judge Danforth's voices as they tried to call back Hale's retreating form.

But then she slipped into peaceful sleep, drifting away from the troubles of Salem.

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**OKAY. What do you think will happen to Natalia now? Will she live? Will she die? I have NO idea myself. I am tossing and turning between two very different ideas and I can't decide what is ethically RIGHT for this story. I hope I do it justice. **

**Love y'all - Soldier of Passion**


	16. Revenge Does Nothing for Your Beauty

**Hey! I didn't update for a while. So this is what happens when I still have no idea what I want to do...can you say...FILLER CHAPTER! Yay! **

**Haha, I'll figure it out eventually. We're getting there though! It's almost done! Natalia's tale is almost finished! What will happen I wonder? Cause I don't know! Do you know? Probably not. Cause I haven't decided. But here's another chapter to keep you happy while I decide.**

**Enjoy this chapter! Lot's of Hale kisses. Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!**

(HalexNatalia 4ever: AWWW)

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**Chapter Sixteen**

She was cold. And she was lonely. For months she had wasted away in this small, confined cell, not able to breathe the fresh air or feel the warmth of the morning sun. She had felt as if she had taken so much for granted; the flowers scattered colorfully across the green fields, the sound of the cock crowing at the dawn. She missed the neighbors who would smile and wave at her as she passed by on her morning stroll to the church. She missed the laughs and giggles she would share with a best friend, the embrace of a protective brother, and the warm lips of a lover.

Natalia had wondered many times if it was worth fighting for the truth. If fighting against Abby's tyranny of chaos was worth this misery. She was put in a separate room from the rest of the women. She hadn't seen anybody in days. Cheever came by a few times every day to give her a small ration of food and a sip of water. The last friendly face she had seen was Buffy, who had tried to come by with warm tidings and small gifts of sweets as often as she could. Her brother had been too busy working with Hale to help get her out of this cell to come by often.

Hale had last sent her a copy of the Bible, with hopes that it may make her feel better. It had only made her feel sick to her stomach. She smiled at him through the bars.

She was brought out of her pondering as she heard footsteps coming towards her, and her heart leapt in anticipation. Anybody was a welcome sight; even if it was Cheever or Herrick, bringing a warm cup of soup or even stale bread would lighten her spirits.

She cried out in joy. Hale had come to see her, a kind smile on his face, however not reaching the eyes. She didn't mind, however, and ran from her spot near the wall to see him, and struck her hands through the cell and kissed him boldly on the lips. He kissed back, just as passionate, before breaking the kiss. She whined in response and he smiled at her futile attempts to get him closer. The steel bars separated them, as if mocking her.

"I missed you dearly," she sighed softly, running her fingers through his long brown hair. He took one of her hands and kissed her fingers delicately.

"And I you," he whispered, his warm lips giving attention to each individual finger, "These past months have been almost unbearable without you. I am sorry to see you in such a state, but I am trying the best that I can to have you released. I managed to have your date be postponed for a little longer. Hopefully by then the court will have been overthrown."

Natalia nodded slowly, "What about the others?"

He hesitated for a moment, "I don't know what more I can do for them…John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey are all set for the noose tomorrow. The only chance it seems is that they confess—"

"That's blasphemy!" Natalia yelled. "They'll never do it, not one of them, and they ought not to. What needs to happen is that Abigail Williams needs to admit to pretense."

"That's unlikely," Hale considered, "If she is found to have indeed been lying, she would be found to have caused the death of many. And then her neck would be the one to break."

"It would serve her right," she said darkly. Hale cocked his head, pondering at the woman before lifting her chin up to look at him. He traced her cheeks softly.

"Revenge does nothing for your beauty, my love," he replied, and gazed into her dark eyes "I hate to see one so good become so vengeful."

She nodded, and he continued to trace her cheekbones, running down to her mouth, and down to her collarbone. "You've gotten so thin," he murmured, "I should have brought with me some sweet for you to eat. I am a poor lover."

She gasped, "You are the best lover." And she managed to throw her arms out of the cell and wrap them around his neck, as their heads lay upon each other's through the bars, "Please, grant me one request. Come by tomorrow on the morn, now that I know my friends should perish, I should like some company, and news of their departure."

"Aye, I will," he promised, and kissing the small girl once more, he stepped back, leaving her arms dangling in the air. They whispered quick goodbyes and he walked out once more, leaving her to her own perilous thoughts. Cheever came some time later, she wasn't sure when for she had no way sun to tell the time, to give her food. She then slept, hoping that the news of tomorrow would be better rather than worse.

* * *

"Natalia, wake up," a soft voice said, breaking her from her sweet dreams of freedom and justice. In her dreams, all was well with the world; the Proctors were raising their new baby, the Nurses were drinking tea on the porch, Buffy and Peter were flirting on the doorstep, and she was the new blushing bride of Reverend John Hale.

She opened her eyes to find a pair of bright blue ones staring back at her, and she smiled to see the lovely face of her freckled friend. She grinned and gave her a hug. Buffy smiled back, and produced a muffin from behind her back. Natalia scarfed it down, relishing in the sweet flavor.

She covered her mouth as she chewed, "You're an angel," she told her friend, who laughed and produced another small trinket: a wet washcloth. Natalia thanked her greatly as Buffy began to wash the dirt and grime off of her face.

"You need to look presentable if Reverend Hale is coming," Buffy told her, scrubbing behind her ears. "I have come to see Goody Nurse and Goody Corey off today. I thought they could use a friendly face. I just came back from their cell, they 're in awful shape."

"Is there any news at all?" she asked, cringing as her friend began to scrub the back of her neck. Buffy stopped scrubbing at once. She inhaled loudly, before turning her friend to face her.

"I heard that Abigail Williams left town in the middle of the night last night," she confided, "She ran. Judge Danforth is furious, especially at Reverend Parris. I also heard that they mean to have Proctor to confess, so that the people do not overrun the court, and so to damn the others confessed."

Natalia's eyes widened, "How do you know all this?"

"Peter told me, he heard from Hale," she revealed, "They believe if Proctor confesses, then they might have some chance of retaining power. Otherwise, when the town sees three of the goodest Christian souls go to hang on the rafters, there will be uproar."

She thought for a moment, she shook her head, "Proctor will never confess. How do they think he could do such a thing?"

"They hope to have his wife convince him. As you well know, Goody Proctor is pregnant; you should see how large the child has grown inside her. They think that the sight of his wife heavy with child will change his heart, and that he will not want to die."

"I cannot imagine Goody Proctor agreeing to this," Natalia responded, "No matter what, I cannot imagine him staining his name and chance at Heaven for selfishness. No…the court must admit that they were wrong, or Proctor will hang." And she hung her head low and sobbed.

* * *

She watched Buffy leave after she quieted for a little while, telling her that she will fetch Hale, for he had wished to see her. She bid her goodbye and waited patiently for John to come strolling in through the doors, hoping that he would tell her everything that Buffy said was a lie. That everything was going to be alright. That Abigail confessed, everyone was going to be released, and they could all live happily ever after.

He walked in, looking tired and weary. His hair was a mess, his grey coat unbuttoned, and he looked as if he would fall from exhaustion at any moment. He smiled though when he saw her, and knelled down to her position on the floor.

"You look tired," she started, taking in his appearance, "What have you been doing?"

"Since this morning I have been praying with the accused: Goody Nurse, her sister, and Goody Corey. I have been bidding them to confess…" He said, and put his head in his hands, ashamed. She gently lifted his hands and held them tightly.

"Why?" she whispered hoarsely. "You know that they are innocent."

"They are innocent, God knows that," Hale replied, "But I think perhaps that God may damn a liar less then he who gives himself to pride. And I have come to help save the life of John Proctor, and hope that his wife may help save him. For if he dies, than I may count myself a murderer."

"Oh John, he'll never confess it."

"Would you?" he asked softly. She looked up, startled. She hadn't given it much thought. True, she had thought often of a future life, and did not want to have to be killed for something she had never done. But she was scared; if she lied, what if she was not allowed into heaven? She didn't want to call herself a witch. She wasn't one. But she wanted to live, that she knew.

"I—I don't know. I don't know if I could."

"Well, God be it that you never have to make that decision," he said, and searched through his pockets to find a small brass key. He lifted it in front of her and it sparkled in the sun, "I had thought that you would want to see your friends off, so I asked the Judge if it be alright if you had come with me. If you do not want to, let me know now, but I thought that you would look some fresh air as well."

Natalia stared at the key, hope shimmering in her eyes, "I can get out of here?"

"Only for an hour or so, and only supervised by myself and Cheever," Hale explained, and went to unlock the cell. When it opened she threw herself at him, and he accepted her hug with warmth. It had been three months since they last were able to embrace one another properly. Her kissed her head and started walking, holding her hand as she scampered along after him.

At last they came to the door leading to the outside and she halted. He opened the door slowly, and she breathed in the freshest air that she felt in months. The sun, while hiding behind the white clouds in the sky, was still warm to her, and it felt good on her face. She looked around and found the judges and Reverend Parris holding council, and they looked at her with fear and suspicion. She held her head up though, as Hale escorted her down the stairs towards them.

Danforth cleared his throat, and addressed Hale, ignoring the girl clinging to his arm, "Accept my congratulations, Reverend Hale; we are gladdened to see you returned to your good work."

She shot him a nasty glare, and Hale shifted uneasily. "Excellency, I must have more time…"

Danforth shook his head, "Now hear me, and beguile yourselves no more. I will not receive another plea for pardon or postponement. Have I not already granted your wish to postpone the death of that witch dangling in your arms? I have even allowed her to see the other prisoners off!" he exclaimed, and stared at Hale resolutely, "What more can you ask of me? Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die at dawn.

Have you spoken with them all, Mister Hale?"

"All but Proctor," he admitted. Danforth nodded and looked towards Willard.

"Mister Parris and I have already discussed Mister Proctor, and hope that his pregnant wife may soften him," he told him, "So fetch Goody Proctor for me, and Mister Parris, you can bring up Proctor."

Hale shifted once more, and pleaded, "Excellency, if you postpone a week, and publish to the town that you are striving for their confessions, that speak mercy on your part, not faltering. Please, there are orphans wandering from house to house, abandoned cattle on the high roads, the stink of rotting crops everywhere! No man will know when the harlot's cry will end his life!"

Natalia cocked her head, "I thought Abigail ran off in the middle of the night?"

"True, but that won't stop the rebellion to happen! Danforth, better you should marvel how they do not burn down your province!" Hale shouted. Danforth stared bewildered.

"Mister Hale…have you preached in Andover this month?" he asked. Hale shook his head.

"Thank God they have no need of me in Andover." Hale said, partially to himself, "Nay, I stay here in Salem, where I do the Devil's work! I stay to council good Christians they should oppose themselves! And now there is blood on my hands and my head and I'll never be able to wash it away!"

Natalia started to cry, and with Hale's ravenous shouting and the small girl's sobbing they tried to quiet them. "Hush!" Danforth yelled, "Goody Proctor is about to arrive. We need none of this foolishness."

And Natalia realized this was it. This was what the world has come to, when good men and good women suffer at the hands of a tyrant with the book of God in his hands. She wondered if there was a light at the end of all this, or if there was only more suffering. But she knew that whatever Proctor decided, whether it be to live or die, it would change things. It would change the outcome of her life, and of her friends' lives, and of the soul of Salem.

One thing she knew. If she managed to survive these trials, she was not staying in Salem.

* * *

**SO THAT ACCOMPLISHED!...NOTHING.**

**Well, next chapter should have the Proctor/Elizabeth interaction (though I honestly don't know how much I'm gonna go into that) and whatever is after that (not much). Actually, I guess this chapter acomplished SOMETHING. You know that Natalia isn't dying with the others (IF they die...WILL I SAVE THEM?)**

**Haha, well have a great day! And review, I love getting your feedback! **

**Lots of Love, Soldier of Passion**


	17. The Heat of the Drums

**Wow. This scene is probably one of my favorites and yet least favorites of all the Crucible. Honestly, I get goosebumps. And then cry. But yeah, so here it is. Proctor is a bamf, of course, and Hale, although I love him very dearly, is sort of annoying. I think Natalia thinks so too.**

**Anyways, here it is. **

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen  
**

Elizabeth Proctor was a strong woman. She bared two boys and took care of them practically on her own, she took care of the home, and with all the chaos in her life she managed to make it to church every Sunday morn. Natalia wondered how she did it all. And here she was, worn and tired looking, and had aged beyond her years. Her belly was small but had the faint hint of roundness a woman gets when pregnant. She wondered mindlessly if the child was a girl or boy, and if it would ever meet its father.

"Goody Proctor!" Natalia gasped, and thrust herself from John's arms to greet the woman warmly. She gave her the hug, which the woman accepted heartily. Danforth stared at the pair awkwardly before clearing his throat. They looked upon him with disdain.

"Goody Proctor, I hope you are hearty?"

She blinked at him emotionlessly, "I am yet six month before my time."

"Pray, be at ease. We come not for your life," he explained, and looked to Hale, unaccustomed of pleading to anybody. John shifted nervously, walking towards the women.

"Goody Proctor, your husband is marked to hang this morning."

She stared blankly once more, "I have heard it."

Hale hesitated, taking off his hat and brings himself to look sorrowfully at the woman, "You know I have no connection to the court? I come of my own, Goody Proctor. I would save your husband's life, for if he is taken I count myself as his murderer. And so I come here, to ask good Christians to lie. For it is a lie, and you are all innocent," he said, glaring over at Danforth who was about to protest, "But I come to beg you woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. For perhaps God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride."

Elizabeth glared harshly, "I think that be the Devil's argument."

Danforth's eyebrows raised at her loathsome glare, "Have you no tenderness woman? Your husband dies with the sunrise. Do you understand it? Will you contend with him?"

She sighed, and her body trembled as he bid her to ask her husband to sin, but did not go away, "I promise nothing," she admitted, "Let me speak with him."

A rattle of chains erupted their conversation, and they all looked to see a haggard and worn Proctor being dragged by Willard. His wrists, which had become thin with starvation, were chained, and he had looked like another man entirely. He was no longer the young and handsome man that Natalia knew him to be, but had aged, and become bearded and filthy. There was a long silence as Proctor and his wife stared at each other with flowing emotion. Hale shifted uncomfortably.

"Pray, leave them Excellency," he suggested, and the two judges, two reverends, Cheever, Willard, and Natalia left the couple to their reunion. They waited silently in the Salem Jail. Natalia started biting her lip worriedly, and looked up at Hale who seemed as torn as she was.

"Are we doing the right thing?" she asked, and he peered down at her. The others in the room were either too engrossed in their own thoughts to listen or too polite and pretended to ignore. Hale shook his head.

"My mind and heart are at war with each other," Hale admitted, "Yet I cannot let Proctor die without a fighting chance, and if it be to lie, then lie he must."

"But what if he goes to Hell for lying?" she whispered softly. "I'm scared. This is all madness, this shouldn't be happening." Her voice began to cry louder, and it was harder for the people to ignore her at this point, "Abigail should be here to see what she's done! She ruined our lives! This is awful! They don't deserve to die!" She sobbed, and he held her close and she cried into his shoulder. Hale looked blankly at the others in the room who were glaring at the girl in his arms. Danforth shook his head and looked away.

She sniffled softly, apologizing for making a scene and wetting his coat. He smiled, and nodded, telling her it was fine. She sighed, and looked around curiously, "Where's Buffy?" she wondered to herself, "She said she would see Rebecca and Martha off."

"Your friend is most likely waiting with them as we speak," he told her. "And from what I have heard, your brother is with Mr. Nurse this morn, trying to give whatever last comfort he can. He will accompany him when the time comes."

She nodded painfully. She could only imagine the suffering that the old man was going through, sharing many years of marriage with the one you love only have to see her die right in front of you when you can't do anything about it. Practically made her sick to her stomach.

They heard a shout from outside, and Cheever opened to door as Proctor yelled, "I want to live!"

And they all rushed out joyously, save Hale and Natalia who were walking with heavy steps at the back. Danforth called Cheever to start writing, before looking at Proctor with new found energy, "Praise to God man, you shall be blessed in Heaven for this."

Proctor glared down at Cheever's pen and paper at once, "Why must it be written?"

Danforth spluttered, "Why, for the good instruction of the village, mister! Now mister, will you speak slowly and directly to the point for Mister Cheever's sake? Mister Proctor, have you seen the Devil in your life?"

Proctor couldn't look him in the face, "I did." A cheer came from Parris and the judges.

"And when he come to you, did he bid you to do his work upon the earth?" Proctor muttered yes, albeit lethargically. One could tell that he chose confession as a last resort, and was still not completely at heart with the idea.

At that moment, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey were ushered outside, to be put onto the carriage. Buffy followed closely behind, muttering a few prayers for them. They looked curiously over at Proctor, who could not dare look them in the eyes. His head hang forth in shame. Rebecca, the good dear soul, was smiling over at him, just as politely and lovingly as she always had been. Prison had not sorrowed her heart or destroyed her goodness. Natalia felt sick once more that she was going to be put to death in a matter of minutes. The best of us was going to be hanged.

"Ah, John!" the old woman called, "You are well, then, eh?"

Danforth saw that Proctor was too ashamed to answer and looked to the woman, unperturbed, "Now hear it, Goody Nurse! You surely see it profit nothin' to keep the conspiracy any further. Will you confess yourself with him?"

Rebecca trembled slightly, "It is a lie! It is a lie, how may I damn myself?" she called, and shook her head at Proctor, "Oh John, God sent His mercy on you, John!"

Proctor seemed unable to take any more of this, "Take her out!"

Danforth looked once more to Rebecca and Martha, but both of them stood resolute and refused to confess. His eyebrows widened in amazement before sighing and looking back to Proctor, "Now Mr. Proctor, when the Devil came to you did you see Rebecca Nurse in his company?"

Natalia gasped. Proctor glared at Danforth, before spitting out, "No."

Danforth tried again, "Have you seen Martha Corey with the Devil?" And once again, he resolutely denied. He tried Rebecca's sister, and then asked, "Did you see Natalia Paddock with the Devil?"

Proctor looked over at Natalia, whose eyes widened in shock, "I did not," he claimed once more. Danforth snarled, claiming that he must have seen someone with the Devil, and that he would not trade his life for a lie. Proctor laughed scornfully at that, but said nothing, but that he would not judge another. Danforth seemed unimpressed. Hale waved his hands in exasperation.

"Excellency, it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it," he sighed, and Parris tiredly agreed.

"It is a weighty name, sir, it will strike the village that he confess," Parris explained, "I beg you, let him sign it. The sun is up." Danforth finally agreed, and told Proctor to sign the document. Everyone watched in silence as Proctor slowly and agonizingly started writing his last name; with each stroke another pain trembled within his body. Finally, the name was signed, and Proctor looked blankly at the paper. Parris cheered to the Lord. Natalia blanched.

Danforth looked at the man perplexedly, but extended his hand, "If you please, sir."

Proctor didn't move, "No."

There was a silence. Danforth's eyebrows furrowed, "Mister Proctor, the village must have proof that…"

Proctor grabbed the paper, crumpling it in agony, "Damn the village! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God knows how black my sins are! How may I teach my sons to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends?"

Danforth stared befuddled, "You have not sold your friends…"

"I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!" he yelled, and slammed his hand upon the table angrily. Danforth searched desperately for a way to get him to give him the paper.

"Mister Proctor, I must have good and legal proof that you have confessed to witchcraft."

"You are the high court, your word is good enough! Tell them I confessed myself, say Proctor broke to his knees and wept like a woman!" he hollered, and looked at the paper in anguish, "say what you will, but my name I cannot sign."

Danforth glared at the man in suspicion, "You mean to deny this confession when you are free?"

Proctor's limp hair hung in his face, "I mean to deny nothing!"

"Then explain to me why—"

And with a shout loud enough that the heavens could hear it, Proctor screamed, "BECAUSE IT IS MY NAME!" he yelled, and he began to sob, "Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! I have given you my soul, leave me my name!"

Danforth stared with contempt at the crushed paper in the other man's hand, "Is that document a lie? If it is a lie I will not accept it! You will give me hour honest confession in my hand, or I cannot keep you from the rope."

And with a heavy heart, the sound of paper ripping filled the ears to all those around, and Proctor destroyed his signature. His wife sobbed behind him, and the reverends looked upon the shredded document in agony. Of course, for different reasons, but alas they both pleaded with him to confess. Proctor ignored them, and went over to his wife, taking her small hands in his. "Pray God it speak some goodness in me. Give them no tear," he whispered, "Show them a heart of stone and sink them with it!" And they embraced passionately before Proctor departed, following Cheever onto the wagon with Rebecca and Martha. Rebecca smiled over at Proctor reassuringly, "Let you fear nothing. There is another judgment that awaits us all."

Buffy ran over to Natalia and they embraced, sobbing into each other's shoulders. Danforth glanced upon them with disdain, before looking away, "Whoever weeps for these weeps for corruption. Take them!"

And the carriage set off, and Natalia and Buffy ushered after it, attempting to keep pace. They ignored the others behind them, ignoring Parris's plead to Elizabeth and John Hale's elaborate speech. Elizabeth ignored them too, but could not will herself to go to watch them hang. She closed her eyes, "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him."

The girls were still running through the crowd, which had become thick with mourning citizens. They shouted blessing towards the three accused, yelling "God bless you" and praying for their souls. Not a one had any doubt that they were not witches, and they all cursed the court. Buffy and Natalia made their way through the people to the front, finding Mister Nurse and Peter. Mister Nurse looked as if he would crumple like that paper, and Peter laid a reassuring hand upon his shoulder, the other hand covering the tears forming in his eyes. The drum was getting louder, it was becoming unbearable. Their hearts thumped and banged as the three took to the scaffold, and suddenly the shouts of the citizens could no longer be heard. Only the beating of the drum could be heard, going faster and faster. The nooses were set upon their necks, tied slowly and deliberately. Natalia couldn't breathe. It was becoming hot, she couldn't even feel Buffy squeezing her hand or feel John's presence which had just come behind her. She was too upset with him to say anything. It was getting hotter. She heard them recite the Hail Mary loudly for everyone to hear, and distantly heard people around her chiming in softly.

And with an Amen, it was over.

All she heard was a crack. And she knew they were gone.

* * *

**:(**

**:'(**

**TT_TT**

**UGH. WHY. I hate Danforth SO MUCH. HATE. HATE. HATE. I can't decide who I hate both, him or Abigail. I mean, you can _say_ (although defending Abigail is an awful thing to do) that she was young and in love, and was stupid and foolish and this all went out of control. But Danforth knew what he was doing, and after a while you could TELL he knew they weren't REALLY witches. Asshole. I can't believe there is a user on here that also LOVES Danforth. I don't know what's wrong with her. ANYWAYS, this isn't the end. Natalia's fate isn't shown yet. Though I'm sure you have a clue (couldn't do it...)**

**The next chapter will either be out in a few hours (hopefully) or tomorrow. I have a Biblical Theology midterm tomorrow though (LOL maybe this can help! I can be all "Abigail Williams thought there were witches...in the Exodus. Sure.) so I PROBABLY should be studying. Well, not probably, definitely. But I don't want to. I think this chapter only came out BECAUSE I have a midterm and am procrastinating and don't feel like studying. **

**Love you all, remember to review! **

**-Soldier of Passion**


	18. Guilty

**To all my loyal fans: this has been a fun ride. I have loved getting to explore the Crucible and Natalia's character development. I dont know if this is what you were expecting, but I decided I didn't want to put this off any longer. I found that this was the right decision in the end. I hope you are pleased, and not disappointed. If you are, feel free to complain, I'd like to hear what people would have thought would happen or would have liked. It's a small ending, but a good way to end this journey.**

**And I hope with this that there will be more Crucible fanfiction, and that I have inspired you all to give it a go. Because Hale is hot. End of story.**

**:)**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen  
**

It was the spring, the flowers had begun to bloom and the grass had greened and birds flew once more over the now cultivating fields. Farmers tended to their livestock, women to their children; friends gathered together to share gossip. The old went to church, the young frolicked around the sun. Giggles escaped the lips of children everywhere.

There was a loud bang, and a small giggle carried after it. Reverend John Hale frowned, putting down his book and looking around for the culprit. A flash of golden hair and two small feet didn't escape the corners of his eyes, and he got from his seat with a heavy sigh.

"What was that?" said an exasperated voice, and he looked over to see his beautiful young wife smiling up at him, her large brown eyes gazed adoringly up at him as usual. He smiled and walked over to her, taking the basket of clothes from her hands and setting it on the table. Hale kissed her forehead.

"Natalia," he said out loud, "what are you talking about?"

Natalia glared over at him, and pushed him off of her. She ran her hands through her dark thick mane of hair. Her days were often spent in chaos; while her husband preached at church and went to nearby prisons to pray with the prisoners, she had her life full with three ridiculous little blessings.

After the deaths of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and John Proctor on that day, the whole town, as predicted, went up in uproar. Reverend Parris had nightly death threats and Danforth had no better luck. Even John Hale found himself flagged after, until his friends Peter and Buffy vouched that he took no part in condemning them. It took several months, but when Elizabeth Proctor was due to have her baby, they let her go, as well as Natalia. It was a day filled with sadness for the ones they lost, but sweet vengeance that the Salem courts had lost all credibility, and that at least two innocent lives had been saved.

Elizabeth gave birth to a small, but healthy little girl. Natalia and Buffy served as her midwives and helped deliver a baby for the first time. It was a thrilling, yet scary experience.

When Natalia was released, Reverend Hale kept his promise to her and asked for her hand in marriage for real this time. Peter gave his blessing, and the two married within months. They left Salem, like Natalia wanted, and the two moved back into Andover, away from all of the painful memories the town afflicted on them.

And so here they were, eight years and three children afterwards. Natalia heard another soft giggle, and ran to find their youngest running into the garden, a pile of books thrown across the floor, obviously carelessly knocked over. She frowned, ready to yell when her husband ran past her, jolting towards the small fiend and picking the child up and spinning around.

The little girl laughed as her father twirled her until she got dizzy. She cried throughout bits of laughter to get him to stop, but he pretended to not hear her.

"What was that Rebecca?" he asked, and the child laughed, "You want me to spin you faster?"

"No!" she giggled, her long, untamed blonde hair flowing in the wind, "I'm getting dizzy! Stop it papa!"

"John," Natalia scolded, as her youngest's face was turning bright red, "Just put her down." He grinned and her but acquiesced, and the child was dropped unceremoniously to the ground in fits of laughter. Her ivory dress was tarnished with grass stains and dirt from her grubby little hands.

Her mother tsked, "Rebecca Grace Hale, what am I going to do with you?"

She grinned goofily, her bright green eyes shining like that of her father's, "I don't know," she laughed, and it only got louder when the oldest came through the door, covered in grime. He sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead and nodding to his parents.

"Good day, mother," he nodded, "Father."

Her husband looked at the boy and smiled, "Did Uncle Peter work like a slave driver again?"

The boy laughed, "Aye," he answered, and looked around the house, "Where is Miles?"

His mother went to boy with a damp towel and started cleaning his face, which he protested, "Miles should be around here somewhere, John. Your brother is probably studying in the den. Why don't I fix you a bath?" And with a peck on the cheek, a growl from her son, and a giggle from her daughter, she left her chaotic family to make her son a bath.

While the Salem Witch Trials took away some of her dearest friends, as well as some of her faith in humanity, she found that the presence of God could be seen in the hearts of her family. Hale resumed his clergy in Andover, and whenever she found time from her busy life she would go down to Salem, where Buffy and Peter lived (they had gotten married a couple years ago and now had one baby girl. Her eldest son John went down to Salem to help his uncle with the farm) and visited Elizabeth Proctor as often as she could.

The children were the lights of her life. Her eldest John reminded her so much of his namesake, John Proctor. He looked like his mother in most regards; he had black curls and hazel eyes, and was the mischievous one of the family. He was hard working though, and found himself happier working in the fields then studying. He was her simple farm boy.

The middle child, Miles, was named after Giles Corey, and was much like his father. He had the black hair of his mother, but his eyes were the exact shade of brilliant green like his father. He was a quiet boy, often closed up in his room studying books. Her little scholar, she imagined that he would grow up like her Hale some day and become a preacher.

And the youngest was the star of the family, Rebecca. She was a golden haired rascal who spent her days running around the house barefoot and causing her mother much grief, playing with the cats and 'accidently' breaking stuff. She had the spirit of her mother in every way possible, and was going to be quite the beauty when she grew up.

She smiled fondly as the hot water dribbled to the tub, and felt a presence behind her. Her husband was watching her from the door frame, and walked and captured her mouth in his. They kissed lazily for a little bit, and he worked his way down to her neck. He stopped and sighed.

"My love, you have bewitched my heart."

They laughed heartily, and she gazed into his eyes adoringly, "Guilty."

* * *

**Was it what you expected? Better? Worse? Let me know! I hope you are at least happy that Natalia lived. I ALMOST killed her, after all. It was a very weighty decision, which is why it took so long for me to update. I didn't know what I wanted to do. In the end, I wanted happiness, considering all the sadness and darkness that this story created due to Abigail Bloody Williams. **

**Love you all.**

**Soldier of Passion**


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